Changing History
by Rhoynar
Summary: "Time is a fragile thing Adamus. The tragedy you look to alter. Time will find a way to replace it. Where there 'was' death, there will always 'be' death" What if Adamus was able to travel back in time? Can he save everyone? Can he change the past? A/N Coarse Language
1. The Space Invaders

' _How could I have been so stupid? I got caught shoplifting for fucks sake.'_ I thought. Hilde is definitely going to be pissed, not just the 'you're grounded' pissed but like, pissed.

"We've contacted you're grandmother, Hilde" says a short, black detective with a grubby, half-formed moustache. He strokes it as if in deep thought. "The brand on your ankle" He gestures towards my ankle.

Suddenly I'm nervous ' _Could this man be a Mogadorian?'_ I mentally shake myself ' _since when are Mogadorians short and black?'_ Of course the answer was, they're not, this was just an overzealous detective, doing his job a bit too well.

"Would that happen to have come from some kind of gang initiation?" The detective asks politely, as though being nice is going to get me to reveal all my secrets.

"Yeah, I'm in a gang called the Space Invaders. We do surf-by shootings. No lifeguard can stop us" I sneer

Suddenly the door to the interrogation room burst open and a tall, pale man walks in. Immediately I get the feeling that something is wrong, that pale skin isn't natural. I realise that I'm in a whole lot of trouble.

"Detective Johnson, I believe this interrogation is over" says the tall man.

' _I knew it, he'll break me out of here, and then kill me'_ I begin to think

"On whose authority?" asks the detective, who stands straight to face the intruder. He tries to look intimidating but that's hard to do when you're two heads shorter than the other.

"The authority of the Federal Marshal Service. My name is Deputy Mark McCormick and this girl is under witness protection" He lifts up a badge and shows it to the detective. The detective frowns. "The pictures you took of her" he continues "What have you done with them?"

"The pictures?" The detective repeats "They have been uploaded to the system, the only thing left to do is to upload a picture of that brand on her ankle, I suspect its gang affiliated"

I don't understand, is this Mog trying to wipe all traces of me being here? Maybe he just wants the cops in the dark, so when we leave he'll kill me, and no one will ask questions.

"Well…" the Mog begins "You're right, that gang is hunting her, she testified to some illegal activities, and if you post that picture of her ankle mark, she'll be in terrible danger"

The detective nods "What should I do? Forget this ever happened?"

"By all means remember it, record it if you must, just leave out the picture of her ankle brand and this discussion in your report. Write that you let her off with a warning and no special action was taken against her. Make the report as normal and inconspicuous as you can. This isn't a request detective, this is an order" Says the Mog, standing so he emits power and control, he successfully intimidates the detective.

"I might have to make a few calls" says the detective "To ensure this is legitimate"

"By all means, make those calls"

The detective leaves the room, leaving me alone with the Mogadorian. "Are you going to kill me now?" I ask

"One, always so blunt. No, I am not here to kill you, but when he comes back" he gestures to the door that Detective Johnson left through "he'll have found out I'm not in law enforcement, and then we're both screwed" he says, sitting in the chair across from me.

This guy is younger than I thought, he only looks like he is 19 or 20

"What are you doing? Are you helping me? Or coming up with a creative way to kill me?" I sneer at him "Don't think I don't know what you are"

"And I know what you are" he states "You're the person I came here to save"

I'm taken aback "What?"

"I can prove it, but not here. We must get back to Hilde, pack your things, and I'll show you. I can't tell you everything yet, we don't have a lot of time. I need you to trust me" he's speaking quickly

"And why would I trust a Mogadorian?"

"Because, you already have"

He's speaking in riddles, I have no idea what that is supposed to mean. But something about the way he said 'you already have' gets under my skin. It feels sincere. I know accepting his help is my only option but I don't want to, not from him.

He holds out his hand "Now's the time, now or never"

"You said you could prove that you're here to help me, prove it" I demand

"We don't have enough time" he's getting impatient, good, he's more likely to slip up.

"I have all the time in the world" I say confidently

"No" he says sadly "No, you don't"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

He shrugs off my question "You never really liked Wade, he was hot, and you were stupid"

How on Lorien did he know that? Only now that he says it that I realise its true "Who are you?"

"My name is Adamus, Adamus Sutekh, and I am your only hope at survival" His hand is still outstretched, I take it. I expected his hand to be cold and revolting, but his hand is warm and if anything he squeezes my hand a little too tight, like he's afraid he'll lose me. "Come on" he says "We have to go, now"

We get up and he drags me to the door. He opens it just a crack and peers out. "The coast is clear" he says and he opens it the rest of the way. Gingerly we walk down the hall, the officers and administration clerks don't look twice at us. I guess it's because Adamus is in an impeccable black suit, projecting authority. He still grips my hand, he looks totally in control. Except for his eyes which dart every which way, scanning for threats.

"Who are you?" I ask as we walk

"I told you, I am Adamus" he pauses "But I prefer Adam"

"I know dipshit, I know your name. I mean, who are you?" I repeat

I expect my insult to rattle him but he smiles, a genuine smile "I am the man who saves your life"

"What do you mean saves? Don't you mean saved? You dumb Mogs don't even too how to use tense" we are nearing the entrance to the police station when we hear a gun cock behind us.

Adam freezes. "Who are you?" yells detective Johnson, aiming a glock squarely at Adams back.

"What's with everyone and asking that question?" he whispers. I can't help but smile. Who knew Mogs cracked jokes? He grabs my hand firmly and swings me so I stand facing him, his body shielding mine from the detective. He is close, too close, instinct tells me to pull away but there is something in his eyes, fear. He had not expected this. "Whatever happens, run. Keep running, the airport you choose, there will be two Mog scouts waiting, kill them both. Don't get on the flight, run. Stay in America, stay hidden" he whispers hurriedly.

"What? Aren't you coming? You said you would explain everything" I say, what am I doing? Am I seriously asking a Mog to run away with me? Even though I can tell he's trying to help me, that or he is a really good actor.

He smiles "And I will" he pauses "If I don't die here" He leans down and hugs me, I'm too surprised to do anything, my arms just hang limp at my sides. He brings his face next to mine, I can feel his breath on my ear, the ground trembles. "Run" he whispers, and I do.

This building starts to shake as I sprint for the exit. I open it and turn watching the building vibrate as though an earthquake were happening right beneath it. I hear a gunshot, then a grunt of pain. Suddenly energy bursts, rippling through the ground, knocking me off my feet. Adam runs out the door a second later, his arm bleeding profusely.

"You're a Garde?" I ask as he runs out of the building

"No" he says, lifting me off the ground with his good arm.

"You're a human?"

"No" Hilde's car screeches to a stop out the front and gestures for me to get in

"You're a Mog then?" I ignore Hilde who is yelling for me to hurry up

"Not anymore"

I get in the back seat with Adam while Hilde drives up front alone.

"That was some legacy" says Hilde "You nine?"

"No" he grits his teeth in pain "I'm not Garde, this legacy was a gift"

"A gift?" I say "From who?"

"It doesn't matter, what matters is I need you to trust me"

"How can we trust you, you're a Mog? Aren't you? Did you steal those powers off another Garde that you captured, did you torture them for it?" asks Hilde angrily, she knows from her position in the driver's seat she can't do much if Adam reveals a sinister nature.

"How would I do that without killing myself?" he asks

"How do you know about the charm?" ask Hilde "Only us few that were there and the greeters know about that" realisation dawns on her face "You captured a greeter"

"No, but by now I think the Mogs have" He's sweating, his eyes closed, his teeth grinding together.

"Then how?" she asks "How could it be possible that you know about that?"

"Because one of the Greeters, Malcolm Goode, is a dear friend"

"Impossible" says Hilde "Malcolm isn't stupid enough to trust a Mog with that information.

"In around six years, he is"

The car tires burn as Hilde slams the brakes. We're back at the house. "You…You're from the future?"

"Thanks for catching on?" he says

"Why then? Why are you here? Who are you?" she asks

He looks at me and again, I can't help but grin slightly "Everyone wants to know who I am today. I'm here because in the next few days, you both die"


	2. The Escape

His words ring in my ears "In the next few days, you both die"

"What?" I ask

"Go!" he shouts "Pack, hurry up, we don't have time to waste. I promised I'd tell you everything and I will, but you need to hurry up. They're coming"

I jump out of the car and race towards the house, Hilde and Adam on my heels.

"Pack only what you need, get the gems Hilde, you'll need them. I know how to get you to Kuala Lumpur, I know someone who can help. He's one of the Garde, he'll only be a kid now. But first, before anything, we have to go to the airport"

"Why? Didn't you say that there are scouts watching us?" I ask, looking up from ramming cloths into a duffel bag.

I smile spreads across his face, he's not exactly bad looking, oh my god what am I doing? "Which is why we have to go, it's one of my more brilliant ideas"

"If you betray us, I will rip you limb from limb" Hilde snarls

"And I don't doubt you, but still I need you two to wait outside the airport though" He turns to look at me "I'm not putting you in any more danger than you have to be, so wait in the car with Hilde"

I don't like being told what to do, told that I can't handle myself. But if he's right, then in the other version of history, I die soon. "Ok"

I think he can sense that I'm scared, my hands shake. He walks over to me and grabs my hands to stop them from shaking "One" he says tenderly "Look at me" I look at him "Everything is going to be fine, I have a plan, it's going to work" I nod.

He realises that Hilde is watching us and pulls away. "Is there any chance you've got a healing stone in your chest?" he asks.

"Even if we do, why would we use it on you?" asks Hilde

"Because I'm your only chance at survival, and to do what I'm about to do I need my strength"

Hilde brings the chest to me, we open it. Hilde retrieves the healing stone from the chest and forces Adam into a chair. He grit his teeth together while Hilde forcefully applied the healing stone. We finish packing 5 minutes later, Adam seems to be getting very impatient. We load up the car.

"Where to?" Hilde asks

Adam is taken aback "I'm not sure, I couldn't see the airports name that you went to. What is the closest one?"

Hilde nods and without replying she starts the car, this time I'm in the front with Hilde and Adam is seated in the back.

"We are being followed" he says 10 minutes into the trip. Hilde stares into the rear-view mirror "Three cars back, that SUV, that is our standard scouting car"

"Our?" Hilde asks

"My species" Adam replies "In the future we aren't on good terms, considering I killed one of their generals and tried to save Two and Three"

"What do you mean 'tried'? I ask, knowing the answer

"I couldn't save them. I tried to save Three, I had to beat the shit out of my step-brother, face a squadron of Mogs for him to escape. He jumped across a ravine, the biggest jump I've ever seen anyone make, maybe that was one of his Legacies. But the general that I killed was on the other side. I watched him die, I was powerless" He looks up "You were so mad at me when I couldn't save two" He stops himself, he knows he just divulged information that he shouldn't have.

"What do you mean? If they got to Two and Three that means I was dead" I say, how could this be possible? How could I be mad at him if I was dead? Was I a ghost? "What, was I a ghost or something, pestering a Mog until he relented and submitted to my evil Loric ways"

He smiles "Something like that"

We arrive at the airport. Adam leans forward in his seat to speak to us "I'll be back, if something happens to me, drive, go far away, bunker down and wait for things to cool down. Always be prepared for an attack, don't go to Kuala Lumpur immediately, wait a while, they are always watching" With that warning he jumped out of the back seat and ran, not towards the airport but towards the SUV. He was fast, sprinting as hard as he could, maybe even faster than me. Straight for the car, an invisible force ripped open the windscreen. Two pale Mogs sat in the front seats looking somewhere between astonished and scared. Adam rips them out of their seats with telekinesis and drags them along the road towards him. He pulls out a knife and stabs one of the Mogs in the back before he has a chance to get up. The other Mog is dazed, trying to stand but his legs are shaking. The Mog swings blindly at Adam, Adam ducks and plunges the dagger upwards into the Mog's jaw. It was done, just like that.

Adam walks back to the car casually and enters the back seat. "Well...now" he says, sounding out of breath "I need you to turn the radio off and not make a single sound"

He lifts a device he pulled off one of the Mogs to his mouth and presses a button. "This is scout team 34 reporting a sighting of the Garde"

"Scout 34 this is home base" comes the reply from the device "Where is the sighting?"

"The target was seen boarding a flight to Malaysia, flight 234, Malaysian Airlines"

"Is this confirmed?"

"Yes, target was seen exiting police station and was tailed to this location"

"You have done our Beloved Leader proud"

"Hail Setrάkus Ra"

The signal cuts and Adam crushes the device in his bare hands. "This ought to buy us time"

"How much?" asks Hilde

"However long it takes them to find the SUV I guess, or until they realise Scout 34 is not showing up for duty, minimum of a month"

I look at him "But…the SUV is right there, of course they'll find it"

He grins again "No, they won't. I'm going to disable the tracking chip and follow you, we head for Arizona, but I'll dump the SUV somewhere along the way"

"That is actually not a bad idea" says Hilde

Adam places a hand over his heart as though Hilde's words offended him "Hilde, I'm full of not bad ideas" I smile and the corner of Hilde's lips form the faintest outline of a grin.

Adam leaves the car and heads towards the SUV.

A phone starts ringing in the centre console. Hilde looks at me, actually it's more like glaring "What? It's not mine"

"Don't answer it" says Hilde and we let it ring out

About 10 seconds later Adam knocks on my window causing me to jump out of my seat and yelp.

Adam starts to laugh "Did you just yelp?"

"No" I say "shut up"

He puts his hands in the air as if to surrender but a smile still plays on his lips.

"Something wrong?" asks Hilde

He looks at her, as though he had forgotten why he came here "Oh, yeah. That phone, answer it, it's me calling. I bought burner phones for us, one for me, one for you, number is programmed in" He walks away and the phone rings again. This time I answer and put it on speaker.

"This is the leader of the Space Invaders gang, we specialise in surf-by shootings, I believe you have one of our members" comes Adam's voice, Hilde looks at me with her eyebrows raised and I utterly lose my shit, I laugh so hard I'm pretty sure I snort. It takes me a second to calm down. "That really was some improvising in the police station" he commends me

"Well, my middle name is improvise" I say

Hilde clears her throat and I can hear Adam sounding kind of awkward in the SUV "Right, sorry. We are headed to Arizona, a small border town near Mexico, it's called Yuma. That's where we'll find four."

"Four what?" I ask

Hilde stares at me and Adam is silent and then I get it, I shove my face in my free hand and say "Sorry, blonde moment"

Adam chuckles. "Well, Hilde, you follow me, or I follow you?" he asks

"You go first, we'll follow" says Hilde

"I'm going to have to treat with four and Henri alone" says Adam

"What? Who is Henri? And no, we are coming with you" Hilde says firmly

Adam doesn't back down "I'm sorry, but you can't, if One and Four get too close the charm will break, and I can't be sure that the other Garde don't have a tail on them. I know Eight will soon be in India, Seven will be in Spain, Five is lost, Six is in Cleveland I think, but she'll be on her way to California. Nine is soon to be imprisoned because of a girl. I'll have to go to Chicago to sort that out later. Two is in England, three in Kenya and Ella is in Spain" he finishes

"Wait…who is Ella, why is Five lost?" I ask

"Five has defected, he has joined the Mogs and there is nothing we can do to bring him back"

"WHAT?" Hilde yells "We have to help him"

"We can't, I'm here to keep you safe, and so in turn that keeps the others safe. You forget that you are one of the oldest of the children, the others won't have a way to defend themselves if you join with Nine and go to get Five. We can't risk it, I've changed a lot by coming here. All that's left is for me to find the others, and you two to stay hidden"

"He has a point" I say, I don't like the sound of agreeing with a Mog. But what if I were to team up with Nine and try and get Five back and one of the others got hurt because the charm was broken? It would be my fault, I couldn't live with that burden

"Trust me, you don't want Five on your side. Once you all have your legacies you can try and talk him out of it but until then, it won't work"

"Oh yeah? How would you know?" I sneer, forgetting for a moment that he is from the future, maybe.

"Because when the Garde tried it last time, Five killed Eight and Nine only barely lived"

"A Garde killed another Garde" Hilde whispers to herself, shocked at the prospect.

"So, five is a traitor. Then who is Ella?" I ask

"Ella is number Ten"


	3. The Flashback

"Number Ten" I scoff "Mog intelligence must not be that intelligent"

"There wasn't a tenth child on the ship" says Hilde

"That's right" says Adam "But she wasn't on your ship, she's the granddaughter of the tenth Loric Elder, the one who was evicted. Her father paid lots of money for her passage to Earth using an old fuel powered rocket that they had in the Museum"

"There is a tenth?" I ask, disbelieving every word that comes out of his mouth. How could I have thought he was funny not long ago, the thought sends shivers down my spine, gross.

"Yes, but she is not bound by the same charm as you are, so she's not safe, but not technically in danger either"

"How can she not be in danger? She's not protected by the charm" says Hilde

"Well" he sighs, as though he is tired of explaining every little detail. Sorry for dying in the future and not being alive to hear all of this, jerk. "The Loric who was cast out is Setrάkus Ra"

"WHAT?" Hilde proclaims

I have no idea what they are talking about, who is Setrάkus Ra?

"Um…who is Setrάkus Ra?" I ask, feeling as though I'm the only one that doesn't know

"The man who destroyed your planet, the Beloved Leader of the Mogadorians" Adam says, I can hear the hate in his voice, the way he pronounces Ra's name, as though it is a curse.

"The granddaughter of Ra is a Garde?" mumbles Hilde, trying to wrap her head around the prospect "She cannot be trusted"

"Who? Ella?" says Adam "Ella is just a little girl, she actually kind of stabbed him this one time in a military base. She is awesome, you guys would like her"

"As fun as this chat is" says Hilde "We should stop, less chance of them overhearing our conversation"

"Good point" says Adam and without another word he hangs up.

* * *

I'm trying to help but that pod in the corner, the only pod that is closed, it haunts me, mocking me from its corner. "You scared Adam" I jump, no one is here. I scan the room, nothing. Just me and the pod. I can almost hear One say "Scared of my dead body. Not like you haven't seen it before" But I know it's not One talking. It's me, thinking.

I stand and slowly saunter over to the pod, wondering what I will face when it opens. Perhaps her skeleton, maybe whatever was keeping her looking like her was damaged the last time I was here? I'm standing right next to it. The button on the side will open it. One button, and I can see her again, oh, how I would love to see her again. But it wouldn't really be her. She'd be pale, like me, she'd be cold. Nothing like the actual One.

I press the button and the pod door swings open. One's body topples out, I catch her and lay her as gently as I can on the ground. She's covered in what looks like a white sheet, but it's not a sheet, it's an article of clothing. Some of her blond hair covers her face. I tuck the loose strands behind her ear. Something I've wanted to do for a long time. She was beautiful, even in death you can see that. Without warning the tears flow, my best friend, my only friend, dead. I crawl so my back is up against the wall. I bring One with me and rest her head in my lap. I sit there for what feels like days. Not doing anything, just sitting with One's head in my lap. She looks like she is smiling and suddenly I remember something "I wish your people hadn't killed me" I laugh without meaning to. She was always so blunt, so sarcastic, so guarded. But then I remember the One after we had watched her death, she was not guarded then, she was weak and I could've taken advantage of that. But something in me held me back, perhaps it was her. Or her memories. A small gust of wind blows more hairs out of their place. I tuck them back behind her ear once more.

"I wish you could've seen this. Seen the Garde. Seen what I've done. Deep down you knew I could, when I doubted myself, you were always there. You were the best thing that ever happened to me"

Footsteps, as though someone is walking backwards away from the room. I look up to see John, backing out of the control room. A look of surprise on his face.

He sees me looking at him and starts "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intru-"

I cut him off "Its fine John"

"Who is she?" John asks walking over to me. He sits down next to me, eyeing the dead girl.

"John, I'd like you to meet Number One, The One who Protected the Eight" I say

John swallows, his demeanour has gone from curious to defeated "You knew her" John says, it's not a question, it's a statement, he must have overheard me talking to her.

"Better than anyone, I think. Except for Hilde"

"How Adam? How could you possibly have known her?" John looks at her lifeless form and his shoulders slump. When I don't respond he says "For what it's worth, she'd be proud of what you've done" John stands, brushing off his jeans and begins to walk towards the exit.

"The first time I saw her" I say. John stops and spins around "Was the night she died"

John looks confused, I gesture at the floor for him to join me. He does, sitting in the same spot he recently vacated.

"My father took me there, to Malaysia, to watch. I thought I was getting a glimpse of noble Mogadorian victory. There was nothing at all noble about watching two dozen armed Mogadorians charging at an unarmed teenage girl" John was looking at Six, I guess he was trying to picture what her final moments would have been "Even less nobler, was the way she died. She was overextending herself, becoming drained, using her Legacy too much. She didn't notice one of them slip behind her and plunge a sword into her back" A single tear leaks out of John's eye, he brushes it away.

"That doesn't explain-" he starts

I cut him off once more "We brought her body here, and using the chair that Nine threw, the doctor here was able to plug One's and my mind together. So I could view her memories, try and find the other Garde. I did to, in the beginning, I found memories that would help the cause, until One found me. I don't know what she was, maybe a ghost in her own memories. But I was in her head, and she was in control. The first words she said to me were "Who the fuck are you?" John smiles "She showed me her life, not important things, random things, her boyfriend, her surfing, her training. And I grew attached, she was just a girl, and my people slaughtered her, and they felt proud of it. I was never more disgusted with my people then when she showed me her memory of her death. She fought bravely, killing Mogs left and right, but there were too many, and she had been skipping training to hang around with boys. When I watched her die the ghost of One watched too. I could feel her losing control, and suddenly, I was in control. I could go wherever I wanted. I went to a memory of her, at the beach surfing. I just sat on the sand, watching her ride the waves, come out of the water and then I'd rewind and repeat the memory. Eventually she showed up, the ghost and told me I had to wake up. So I did, it had been three years. And my father had found number Two. But when I woke One was still with me, the ghost One. Only I could see her and hear her. She talked to me all the time, I never went a day without seeing her. She convinced me to save Two, I tried but I failed. We went to save Three and I was close, so close, but I was too late. As a result of openly defying Mogadorian progress my step brother threw me down a ravine. I would have died if not for One. She urged me on. I'd never heard her speak of me like that. She told I needed to get up. And I did, I crawled out" I pause

"So that's it?" John asks "Did One just disappear?"

"No" I reply "She started to fade, whatever connection we had, was fading. I couldn't lose her, I'd spent 3 years in her memories and 2 years with her in my head. I came back here, that's what One told me to do. And when she plugged me back in to the machine I was taken back into her memories. And she was there, and I could touch her. We sat on that same beach. It was all a trick. One needed me to come back so I could help the Garde. She said 'This was never about saving me'. She told me that all I ever needed was myself, I had the courage and the strength to defy my people. She told me that I was no longer powerless and that's when she gave me her Legacy, I don't know how, but she did. And then I confessed, I told her that I loved her" I didn't realise that I had started crying, but I had "And she told me that if she had lived, that I would've loved her. And then she left me, forever"

I sit, stoking One's cheeks while the tears fall freely. John puts his hand on my shoulder and squeezes.

"If she could see what you have become. I'm certain she would have loved you too" John stands and walks out of the room, leaving me alone with One.


	4. The Trip

The highway seems never ending. We drive for hours. Adam tails us closely in the Mog S.U.V. I get extremely bored and decide to ring Adam. I have questions that I want answered

"What is this future world like?" I ask

"The future" he replies, lost in thought "Not great" he finishes

"Wow" I say "That was some description" I'm starting to get sick of his extremely vague answers.

"Ask me a specific question and I'll answer it" he says

"How do I die?" I ask, wanting to know, but also not wanting to know.

"A sword through the back" He answers, his voice sounds sullen and distant.

I take a minute to process this "In Malaysia? That's what you said"

"Yes"

"And where were you when I died?"

"I watched" he sounds ashamed of himself

"What do you mean you watched? You let them kill me?" I ask, turning in my seat to stare at him. It's fairly easy to see him considering there is no windshield on his car.

"It's complicated" he says. And it's pretty clear he doesn't want to talk about it.

"And" starts Hilde surprisingly "Where am I?"

"Dead. Shot through the chest with a blaster" He says, still looking ashamed

"Did you kill me?" asks Hilde

"No"

I sit properly in my seat, not wanting to look at him anymore. Neither of us hang up. The line just stays open.

After around 20 minutes the boredom sets in again, and I still have more questions.

"How did you get here?" I ask

"I made a wish, and it came true" he says

"Care to elaborate?" I say, I'm really getting sick of these damn riddles.

"The Sanctuary" he says

Hilde gasps "How did you get into the Sanctuary? That is a sacred place"

"With your help, One"

"Enough of these fucking riddles" I'm seriously getting annoyed

He ignores me "I met Lorien"

"You did?" asks Hilde "What was it like?" a look of wonder and awe on her face

"Confusing. It was just a blue…thing. It called it's self an entity. It didn't say it was alive it just said it…is" He says, emphasising the word 'is'

"And what it just knew you needed to save me?" I sneer. This story is getting more unbelievable as it goes on.

"Actually no" he says "First I asked to see you. I wanted to talk to you. And the being…Lorien said I could. He didn't bring you back to life. I guess he summoned you from wherever you go when you die. But you appeared, made completely out of Loralite"

"Then what?" I say, turning in my seat once again

"We talked, I apologised" He says

"Is that it?" I ask

"It's personal" he says

"No shit. I was the one you were talking to, it could be personal to me"

"It's not personal to this version of you. But the other you, the One I knew, my best friend" I can tell he is struggling. He doesn't want to finish this story. "You told me you wouldn't have had it any other way, that your death was worth that 5 years"

"Adam, seriously dude" I'm getting angry "If you don't start making sense real soon"

"I loved you" he cuts me off "And at the Sanctuary you told me that you had loved me too"

I'm shocked, of course this is complete bullshit. He could very well be lying. "So…" says Hilde awkwardly "That's why you came back"

"No. That is not why I came back" he says firmly "The One I knew is dead. The One I loved no longer exists." His voice sounds harsh "But I think that's why Lorien chose me, he could have chosen Six, or Seven. But he chose me to come back. Because I knew the consequences if I failed, better than the others. He gave me my own Legacies. The Legacy where I can create seismic activity is yours. You gave it to me"

"Impossible" I say

"I don't know how you did it, but you did. And Lorien gave me the rest, gave me telekinesis, and maybe it gave me other Legacies as well. I'm not sure, I guess I'll have to wait and see. No more questions, please. I promised I'd explain everything you need to know, but there are things you don't need to know"

"Wait" I say. I can see him roll his eyes "If the only reason past you defected was because of me. What will happen to past you?"

"I don't know. But I'm too smart to be left in Mog hands" It's not praise, more like scorn "I'll either have to kidnap, or kill my past self" He doesn't flinch, no sign of remorse, nothing. He's talking about killing himself, he sounds cold.

"How can you be so cold?"

"You would understand if you knew me" he says "I was all about Mogadorian Progress. And without seeing you die, I will continue to be. That's where I'm headed after we sort out your business with Kuala Lumpur."

"You're not coming with us?" I ask. I don't want to admit that I'm kind of scared of going alone, without Adam. I don't have my Legacies yet, and he seems powerful enough.

It's like he knows what I'm thinking "All you ever need is you" he says to me "The courage to defy an entire species. That is all you" His words provide me a small amount of comfort, but he is the enemy.

"Where'd you get that from? Some Mogadorian book?" I sneer

He smiles "No actually, those were some of your last words to me" He hangs up. The rest of the trip is spent in silence.

We arrive at the small town, Yuma. We book a small room in a motel. Adam also has brought his own duffel. Although I have no idea where he got it, or where he put it in the car.

We enter the room. Immediately to the left is a small kitchen. Just passed the kitchen is what appears to be the small bathroom. A double bed sits with its head against the far wall. "I've got the floor, I guess" he says when we walk in. We all dump our bags, no one argues against Adam's proposition. "Before you unpack I need photos first"

"Why?" Asks Hilde

"I'm assuming that your other fake passports have been compromised. You'll need new ones"

Adam pulls a camera from his duffel bag. Hilde walks over to the white wall and stares at the camera without smiling. Adam takes the picture. After Hilde is finished I walk over to that spot, the flash of the camera nearly blinds me.

Adam drops the camera onto the floor and starts unpacking his things. He reaches in his bag and pulls out a handgun and a large dagger. He stands and gives them both to Hilde. Without a word she takes them and he returns to his bag. He pulls out another dagger and for a second I think he'll give it to me.

He looks at me "In the other version you skipped training, which is the main reason you died. I'll be gone for a bit. I don't know how long. I'll call if I'm in trouble. If I don't come back within 24 hours. Leave. But don't forget One, train like it's your last day on this planet, because it very well could be"

"Good luck" says Hilde

"I won't need it" he says with that smug smile he always wears before leaving the room, all he took was the dagger and the chip with our photos from the camera.

As soon as he leaves Hilde walks over to his duffel bag and starts rummaging through his things. There is nothing special. Just a bunch of clothes and a small yellow stone.

Hilde eyes it with a look of awe "A Xitharis stone" she proclaims

"A what?" I ask

"It's a stone that allows a Garde to transfer Legacies. I'm not sure if he's charged it"

"What do you mean?"

"If you had a Legacy, well you will soon and Adam says it's something to do with seismic shock. Then you could put that Legacy into the stone. And give the stone to another Garde and they could wield that Legacy, for an hour or so"

"Is that where he got my Legacy from? The stone? Maybe I'm still alive in the future, maybe this is all a trick"

"That's unlikely" she says

"Why? Why is me being alive unlikely?"

"Because that would explain him having your Legacy, it wouldn't explain his telekinesis. Nor would it explain the way he looks at you"

I'm confused, what way does he looks at me? I decide to keep my mouth shut, not wanting to know the answer. How could future me have loved him? A Mogadorian. His kind tried to slaughter my entire race. The other me must have been really fucked up.

* * *

The Sanctuary is completely blue. Loralite everywhere. Six and Seven talk to the being that uses Eight's body as a vessel.

The entity is about to leave, now is my only chance.

"Wait" I say

The being halts "Yes Adamus?"

"Is…" I stop, well aware of Seven and Six's eyes on me, they'll think I'm weak. But I need to know "Is One there? Can I speak with her?"

The entity stays silent. Blue Loralite starts to rise out of the well, forming a figure. In a few seconds it has taken the shape of a girl, it's One. She stands there watching me. "So" she says

"So" I say, I'm at a loss for words, she's really here

"You found me?" she asks

I ignore here question "Do you know who I am?" I ask. I'm not sure if the memories from our time together would stay with her, considering she died before they happened.

"Of course I know who you are Adam" she says

My heart rises, she remembers. "I miss you" I say "Every single day. It's like a part of me is missing without you. I'm sorry One" I can still feel Six and Seven's eyes on me but I don't care.

"And I miss you too. Don't blame yourself, my death was worth those 5 years that we spent together. I wish you could see it here Adam, it's beautiful. I spend most of my time on our beach. Do you remember the beach?"

"I'll never forget it" I say "I wish you could have seen me. I've done all the things you told me I could do, I even managed to save a Garde"

"I bet your pops wasn't happy about that" she says

"No, that's why I killed him"

"That took guts Adam, I told you that you had that courage within you" she says

"Maybe one day, after all of this is over. I'll join you" I say

"Maybe" she says "I don't think Mogs are on the guest list here though"

I laugh "No, I suppose not. But I'll find a way, I will see you again. And we can go back to that beach"

"I'd like that" she says "I can't stay longer Adam, this realm is not meant for me anymore"

"I understand"

"Good-" she starts

"Don't say goodbye, not again. Because this isn't goodbye, I'll see you again, I'll find you, one way or the other. This is just…until next time" I say

She laughs "You were always the dreamer. For what it's worth I hope you do find me. Until next time Adamus" she pauses, looking as if she wants to say something "I never said this on the beach, but, I love you too" and then she's gone.

Six and Seven still stare at me. I turn to the entity "Is there any way I can see her again?" I ask, knowing the answer is probably no.

"If you die. I would welcome you into this place, you would see her again. But there is another way. Something that I have only recently been able to master"

"What is it? Anything, I'll do it" I say

"Time travel Adamus, time travel. You can save the world. But beware, if you accept, it has never been done before, you could die from the process"

I look at where the Loralite One had been. "For her, I'd risk it"

"I expected as much"

I turn to Six and Seven. "I guess I'll see you around" I say

Six hugs me, wiping tears from her eyes. She gives me a dagger. "Use it well, save us Adam. Save us"

"What will happen to us?" asks Marina

The entity seems lost in thought for a second "You will still be you, but you will have no memory of these events, of this timeline. If Adamus changes enough events, this timeline will cease to exist"

We are all silent. Six nods at me. "I'm ready" I say.

"Step forwards Adamus. Come closer"

I do. The blue Loralite reaches out and wraps around my wrist. Then the world goes black.


	5. The Meet and Greet

The drive to Four's hideout is taking a while. I booked a motel out of town, to keep the distance between them, preserve the charm. I feel hopeful, for the first time in my life I have real power. I have the power to change lives, to save them.

Eventually I make it to the hideout. I don't know how I know it's here, it's more of a Sixth Sense. Maybe Lorien gave me a way to sense the Garde, to find them. I find myself in a rural area. The last sign of civilisation was around 10 minutes ago. I guess Henri and John prefer solitude. As I approach the small cottage I hear voices mumbling inside, someone is having a conversation. I knock on the door. The voices immediately halt. I need to do something to get Henri to gain my trust. I levitate some grass clippings from the front yard and hover them in front of my face. Henri slowly opens the door. He sees the clippings floating and he swings the door open. Letting out a sigh of relief.

"Thought you were a shit Mog" he says with a French accent

"What?" I ask, utterly perplexed

"He means" comes a small voice "He thought you were a damn Mog"

"Oh"

"He never has gotten human swearing" says nine year old John. His hair was as blonde as it will ever be. He looks a little different, his features not defined by puberty yet. If Loric people even go through puberty.

"What do you want?" Henri asks "What number are you? Has something happened?"

"No time to explain everything Henri, in time I will. But first I have a huge favour to ask" I say, not looking away from Henri's eyes.

He nods "Come on in" I pass him and he studies the street, as though he's checking if anyone saw me come in. Apparently he's satisfied because he shuts the door a second later. He turns to me "What's this favour?"

"I need two passports. A passport for One and her keeper" I say. Immediately after I said it I knew I shouldn't have

"Why didn't One come here herself?" he asks suspiciously, eyes narrowed.

"Because…" I start, I can't tell him that I'm a Mog, and if I tell him that her coming here would have broken the charm, he'd realise I'm not a Garde. "Because she's injured" I say

"We have a healing stone" says Henri "In the Chest"

"No, she has one as well, she'll be fine. We're just in a bit of a hurry"

Henri nods. "Two passports" he says "Got pictures?"

I breath a huge sigh of relief "Yeah, they're just-" Henri's hand is at my throat, gripping it with surprising strength.

"I know what you are" he snarls

I grab his hand, not too hard. Lorien gave me the Garde's increased strength. I set his hand aside.

"Please" I say "I'm not here to hurt you. I've been sent from the future" Henri is a little taken aback

"That's got to be the shittiest excuse I've heard" Henri looks at Four

"Yeah, shittiest works in that context" says Four

Henri smiles. "Please Henri. How else would I know you're Henri? How else would I know he's Four?" How else would I know that in five years you go looking for Malcolm Goode?"

"Malcolm?" Henri says, confused

"Yes" I say "Malcolm is missing. I'm sure you've seen it. And I know where he is. I can free him. Just two passports. Please"

Henri relaxes "Two passports, give me 3 hours. Once they're done you leave, and I never see you again"

"I can't promise that" I say "I will see you again, it's my job to unite the Garde when they're ready, and to protect them when they're not" I drop a burner phone I bought on the kitchen table. "My number is programmed in. When the time comes I'll ring you. If you're in trouble, ring me. It's an easy way for us to keep tabs"

Henri nods slowly. "What am I like in this future of yours?"

"Dead. Which is why I need you to stay off the radar. That means Four doesn't go to Paradise, Ohio. Neither of you do. That'll just…complicate things"

"I die" he says, it's not a question.

"But you save Four. He lives on, you did your job Henri. He grows to be a great man, I can attest to that"

Henri is silent. "Three hours" he says and walks off.

Four is standing there, watching me. "Does Henri really die?" he asks. I can see tears welling in his eyes

"Hey" I say soothingly "Not anymore, I've changed that. You and Henri are gonna be fine. You are going to be one of the most powerful Garde that has ever lived. After all you're one of the nine. You and the others will grow up to be some of the most powerful beings in the universe. You have no idea what you're capable of"

"So Henri won't die?"

"I don't know" I say honestly "The only thing I know for sure, is that he won't die the same way he did in my timeline, in my past. I'll do everything I can to protect him"

"Promise?"

"I promise"

Three hours later and Henri emerges holding out two passports.

"I can't thank you enough" I say. Four has long since gone to sleep. It's around 10pm.

"Just, be careful" says Henri "If what you say is true, we've got a lot riding on this. Don't screw it up"

"I'll try" I say, well aware that if I fail, then everyone I knew and loved will die.

Henri extends his hand. I shake it "Good luck" he says

"I won't need it" I return, smiling.

The drive back seems to take even longer. It takes me roughly around an hour. Before I had left we had come up with a challenge. I would knock on the door three times. Hilde or One would reply "Who am I?" and I would say "the One that protects the Eight".

It feels good to be doing this. To be helping people again. One always said I could be great. I drive the thought out of my mind. The One I loved is dead. This One looks the same and acts the same but she's different. Somewhere deep down I know it, but I don't want to believe it.

I knock three times on the motel door. "Who am I?" says One

"The One that protects the Eight" I return

"Wrong" she says "Guess again"

"Seriously One. It's fucking freezing out here. Let me in" I try to sound tough, but that's hard to do when you're slowly turning into a Popsicle.

"Fine" she opens the door "You take everything so seriously dude. You need to lighten up"

I walk inside "Thankyou" I say. But it comes out as sarcasm.

I walk over to my bag, it's fairly clear that someone has been through it. I start to shove my belongings into the bag. I need to get moving at first light.

"What are you doing?" asks One. She's standing in the kitchen, holding a glass of water.

"I'm afraid we must part ways" I say

"What?" she says, a little too loudly. She grimaces and peers at Hilde, making sure she didn't wake her

"I have business in Maryland that I need to attend to" I say, still throwing things haphazardly into my duffel

"You can't leave" she says.

I spent three years in her memories, and she spent two years in my head. I can usually tell exactly what she's thinking. "Hey" I say "Look at me" her eyes rise "You will be fine. I got you these" I gesture at the new passports. I grab her shoulders and she doesn't flinch "You will be fine. If I thought it wasn't safe I wouldn't let you go, I'm not losing you again"

She nods. "I know I just, I have a feeling, like something bad is going to happen"

"I would never let anyone hurt you" I say. I return to my bag. "I think it's best if you guys leave town, head east, preserve the charm. Right now they have everything focussed on Malaysia, but soon they'll realise that you weren't on the plane. They'll get suspicious. They'll eventually find the car. In a week or less they'll come back. That is when you should go. I will call in six days to tell you if the coast is clear. If I don't call. Don't go to Malaysia, run, and keep running"

"I agree" says Hilde. I didn't even realise she was awake

"I'll create a distraction in Maryland, which should bring the Mogs out of Malaysia sooner" I say

"What kind of distraction?" asks Hilde

I smile "Most of their high ranking officers and trained troops are headed to Malaysia. I'm going to go to a small settlement and kill everyone inside"

"What settlement?" asks One

"It's a suburb called Ashwood Estates"

* * *

"They ruined it" I seethe "They will pay for their insubordination" The ship ascends.

It docks and I step out, still pulling Ella by her hair. I throw her at the feet of my troops that I have gathered in the hangar. "Put her in a cell. Chart a course for the Sanctuary"

The ship immediately lurches forward, slowly at first. As soon as it has maximum power potential we speed towards the Sanctuary. We are there in less than a minute.

I jump down. Focussing my telekinesis to dampen my fall with my right hand and holding The Eye of Thaloc in the other. I land in mud with a soft thud. I'm still fuming. Four and Nine, it was a petty attempt. They will pay. It is evident that a small battle has taken place here. Ashes scatter across the ground. Singed earth and what appears to be hail litter everything in sight. The Garde are here.

I walk through the shield and up the side of the pyramid. It doesn't take me long. I place the stolen pendants onto the device. It glows and a door opens. Inside I see Six and Seven, and momentarily the young Mog boy. He disappears as I cross the threshold. Six whirls around. Too late. I slam her against the wall with my telekinesis. She's not dead, but she will be soon. I can almost feel her bleeding out. Seven tries to get to Six. Five told me about her ability to heal. I stop her, reaching out with my mind.

"Five was a good soldier" I say "Disciplined, willing to do whatever was necessary for the cause…And you broke him. For that, Seven, I will break you" I reach out with my telekinesis and snap her neck. She falls limp to the floor.

I see it. The well. Lorien. "You have evaded me for so long. And here we are" I say

"Here we are" echoes a voice from the well

"Where did you send the Mog boy? The defector" Silence. Anger bursts from me. I hold The Eye of Thaloc against the well's brim. Slowly the Loralite recedes

"What are you doing?" asks the entity, it seems panicked, good.

"You will answer" I say

"To…the…past" It replies, fighting against itself, trying not to say the words but failing.

"You what? Do you have any idea what you have done?"

"Saved this planet"

"No, you have doomed it. Send me back aswell"

"No" it says, fighting the Eye of Thaloc "I will not"

"Send me back" I demand

It laughs. I had never realised an entity had a sense of humour. "What?" I seethe

"It's too late" It struggles to say. I can't see where the voice is coming from, somewhere deep within the well. Deep within this planet

"Send me back" I snarl.

Blue tendrils climb over the well wall and snake their way up the cane. They wrap around my hand and the world goes black. Yes.


	6. The Departure

The sun rises attentively on the horizon. I am already up. I stand with the front door open, watching the sun, drinking in its heat. The battle between light and darkness now tips in the suns favour, and for a while we will bask in its light. One and Hilde still lie on their double bed. Sleeping as soundlessly as ever. I don't want to leave like this. No goodbyes. But they know it's easier this way. No attempts at messy farewells. I close the door and lock it, I slide the key under the door. Late last night I had written a note.

' _One and Hilde,_

 _I'm sorry for leaving like this. But it is easier this way. I'll call you every so often. Just to check in, make sure you're safe. I doubt we'll see each other for a while. I'll track down the Garde and give them each a burner phone, and when the time comes I'll let them know. If you think the Mogs are onto our phones then I'll send you an encrypted email with my new number. If I do not contact you for a month then I will need you to make your way to Paradise, Ohio. Find the Goode's house. In the back there is a well. Rearrange the sun dial on the top to 1-4-1-9-9-5. That'll get you in. I probably should warn you, Pittacus is in there, he's dead though. It's just his skeleton. There'll be tons of stuff in there that could be useful. But be careful, the Mogs may be watching the house. Remember, don't break the charm yet, five years minimum before joining the others. Be careful._

 _Adamus'_

The letter didn't seem like much but it was something. I have to make sure there is a contingency plan. I start the engine and drive the SUV out. The airport isn't that far. I don't drive directly into the airport. I find an abandoned building. I drive the car around to the back of the building. No one from the road will see it, they'll have to walk back here to find it. I light the car on fire and let it burn. Yuma is a small town, I doubt anyone can see the smoke. Once the fire has burnt enough I create a small earthquake, the energy is enough to extinguish the fire. I walk out towards the airport. Once there I board a flight to Maryland. One way or another, I'll end that base.

The flight takes roughly 6 hours. When I land I'm exhausted. But I know I can't rest, the Mogs will be back within the week. I need to strike now. I hail a taxi and give him the address. We drive for a while, I lose track of time. Eventually it comes into view. Ashwood Estates, the place where I grew up. As much of a shithole now as it is in the future. I can see two Mogs in the gate house at the front.

"Pull over" I say, handing the driver a $100 bill "Keep the change"

I exit the cab and walk slowly towards the gatehouse. The last time I came here the Mogs were on edge, these guys are relaxed.

"Excuse me" I call, still walking towards the gatehouse "I think I'm lost"

One of the vat-born whispers something to the other. One of them talks into a device like the one I stole of the dead Mog at the airport. I think I've been made.

A Trueborn walks out of the nearest house. I've definitely been made.

I prepare to kill these three. Suddenly the trueborn speaks "Sorry friend. The guards here are…foreign, they do not speak English"

"Ah" I say

He steps into the gatehouse and peers out at me "What are you doing here?" he asks politely

"I seem to be lost, if you could just point me in the right direction" I say

"Certainly" he says cheerfully

He walks out of the gatehouse and towards me. "Where do you wish to go?"

"I want to go inside" I whisper "And kill every single one of you" His eyes open in alarm. Too late. I stab him with the dagger I concealed in the back of my jeans. He falls but does not turn to ash. The two Mogs in the gatehouse stare at me. I pull them out of the small building, careful to block their screams using my telekinesis to keep their mouths shut. I drag them in the dirt until they rest before me. I slit ones throat while he tries to stand, the other aims at me and I knock his gun away with my mind. I close the distance between us and plunge the dagger into his heart. He turns to ash. No one has seen. Good, so far everything is running smoothly.

I walk towards my old house. I leave the trueborn out the front, as long as I can get into the tunnels, this place is rubble. I knock on the door to my old home. My mother answers.

She looks at me, studying me "Do I know you?" she asks "You look familiar"

"Yes" I say, and then I force the knife into her stomach. She tries to scream, I cover her mouth with my hand, pull out the dagger, and plunge it into her again. I repeat this until her body falls limp.

I drop her. I expected that would be hard to do. But it wasn't, not really. My younger sister walks out of the kitchen and sees me. She tries to scream but I crush her against the wall with my telekinesis. I yank her head back and slit her throat. I'm fairly confident that no one is in the house. Young me, Ivan and my father are probably still in Malaysia. The door is where it has always been. I open it. I head into the control room. Scientist scurry everywhere. Not one takes two looks at me. When I try and enter the control room I see Dr Anu.

"That is a restricted area boy" he says

"Oh" I say walking up to him "I'm sorry, I'm new here" I put my hand out for him to shake. When he grabs it I yank him towards me and stab him in the neck. I drop him to the ground, he can't scream. I take his security badge that allows him complete access. I enter the control room, it is empty. I log on as Dr Anu and wipe the system clean. No trace of what happened here. I open the pods. Malcolm is the only one alive. I had hoped that one of the other Greeters would survive. Now the Mogs will have no way of recovering the information I have just erased. I rush over to Malcolm.

"Get up Malcolm, hurry" I say

He shakes his head and vomits "Where am I? Who am I?"

I pick him up, he's light with my newfound Loric strength "No time"

I set him on a seat while I use the computers in this room to send out a worldwide virus, shutting down Mog operations. It will erase all data they have gathered while on this planet and set them back months, maybe even years. I set the reactors that generate power to maximum. I figure I have around five minutes before they go critical and this small suburb goes up in a mushroom cloud.

I pick Malcolm up using telekinesis. We travel through the halls back towards my old house. No alarms sound. They are unaware of any danger. We make it to the door. I disable the tracking device in my family's car and set Malcolm in the back seat. I back it out of the drive way and drive straight through the boom gate. That sets off an alarm. Too late. There is a grumbling sound and the streets erupt in green lava. Splattering the houses. Not quite the explosion I expected but it will do the trick. The lava shoots high into the air and falls, melting through roofs and into houses. I realise it may actually not be enough. I stop the car and walk back towards the estate, telekinetically shielding myself from the lava. I walk and stand at the driveway of my old house. I stomp my foot and the driveway cracks. The ground trembles and holes start to open in the road. Houses fall in and crush the scientist working in the tunnels underneath. That, combined with the lava shooting everywhere, I think it may be enough. I run back to the car, wanting to quickly get out of here before any Mog force can show up. I get in and drive. My next stop is Paradise, Ohio.

Malcolm stirs in the backseat. He lifts his head groggily "Where am I?" he asks again

"You're safe now" I say

"Are you a Garde?"

"Nope, I'm the Mogadorian defector that just saved your life"

Malcolm nods slowly, taking it all in. "Well then, I'm-"

"Malcolm. I know, we've met. Actually, we meet would be more accurate"

"What do you mean?" He clutches the bridge of his nose like he has a bad hangover, or headache.

"It means, I have come from the future to save this planet" I say "My name is Adam by the way"

"Nice to meet you Adam. Where are we headed?"

"Back to your house. I need to borrow your tablet. I have to locate the Garde and quickly. Right now time is of the essence Malcolm. A lot of lives depend on me, on us" I give him a hard stare

"Yes, yes, of course. You just have to arrange the sun dial to-"

"1-4-1-9-9-5. I know, Sam's birthday"

Malcolm stares at me "If you know everything why did you save me"

I'm actually not sure, maybe it was to stop him from divulging too much information. "Because Malcolm. In the future you are my closest friend. Plus, I need some company on the road" I look at him

"You want to take me along. I can't, I have a family"

"A family that is being monitored by the Mogs, if you show up, you'll just put them in danger"

Malcolm knows what I'm saying is true but I don't think he wants to believe it.

"Malcolm, I know you want to go back and stay there. But I'll only be there for a few minutes, I'm getting the tablet and leaving. If you want to come you can. If you want to stay you can, but it will put your family and you in danger"

"I guess I could use those frequent flyer points" he jokes

"That's the spirit. This will be just like the old days, well, in around 6 years, we'd be doing this. How do I pronounce it then? This is like the future days?" I look at Malcolm

He shrugs "To be honest I kind of have no idea what's going on, my head feels like it will explode"

"That'll pass Malcolm. In the meantime get some rest. We got a whole lot of work ahead of us"

Malcolm lies back down, stretched across the three back seats of my family's sedan.


	7. The Face Off

The drive to Paradise isn't exactly pleasant. Malcolm is still passed out after 6 hours of driving. We are getting close. Other than the occasional grunt from Malcolm I've spent the trip in silence. For the first time in a long time I feel as though I'm needed, not just some distraction. I can contribute, in fact, the fate of the Nine rest in my hands. The trip back in time had taken a toll on me, it had mentally drained me. Maybe it wasn't the trip, maybe it was the power that Lorien gave me. When I had appeared I thought something had gone wrong. Because I had appeared in the middle of that beach in California. The beach where One and I parted. I thought for sure I was trapped in memory. But no. This was different. Something of Lorien still lingered inside me. It talked to me for a while, explaining what it deemed relevant for me to know. One phrase left an impression.

"Time is a fragile thing Adamus. The tragedy you look to alter. Time will find a way to replace it. Where there 'was' death, there will always 'be' death"

I knew exactly what it meant. The scales had to be balanced, and by saving One's life, I have doomed another. This thought weighs on me. Was this really worth it?

I have One back. But she's not the same, not the One I loved. And now someone else has taken her place in the afterlife. Maybe it will be one of the Garde, maybe Four will die to balance the scales. I can only hope that I change enough to alter the future, but not enough to cause too much pain and hardship. Malcolm stirs. He does this sometimes, grumbling about giant men at his door. About the Sanctuary, about his son.

We arrive in Paradise an hour later. A part of me feels bad. I have rid John of the opportunity of knowing and potentially loving Sarah. Now in this timeline they will most likely never meet. John will never form a bond with Sam. Sam will never meet Six. I haven't just saved the lives of those who died, I've taken from those who lived. I shake Malcolm by the shoulders. He wakes.

"What? Where are we?" he asks groggily

"Paradise. Malcolm. I need you to stay here" I say

"No, I need to see my family. I need to see my son." He says, trying to sit up. He sways and then slumps back into the chair.

"Malcolm if they see you, they'll report it to the police. I have erased all of their electronic records. They still know who you are. They'll still be monitoring police databases. They'll know you were here, and they'll come looking for us. Right now, we need to lay as low as we can. Once I can form the Garde. Then is the time. Then you can return to your family. But until that day, they will not be safe with you around"

Malcolm nods "You're right" he concedes "But that doesn't mean I like it"

"I'm sorry Malcolm, I truly am" I say, putting a hand reassuringly onto his shoulder. "I'll be back soon. I know what I need. They'll never know we were here"

It doesn't take long for me to make my way towards the house. Only a few of the lights are on. It's around 8pm. I sneak as silently as I can over to the well. I arrange the sun dial to 141995. I enter the well. It is dimly lit. The skeleton of Pittacus still lies inside. I grab the tablet. And just for good measure, I grab Pittacus' pendant from around his neck. I'm not sure why, but I think that it might come in handy.

I exit the well. As I make my way across the backyard I hear a small rustling sound behind me, coming from the direction of the well. I turn. There is a man there. He looks extremely out of place.

He slowly walks over to me. At this time of night I can't really distinguish his features. I'm ready for a fight if need be.

"I have been waiting for you. I believe you have something I need" he says

His face is illuminated by moonlight. It's Setrάkus Ra. Not in his usual form, but the human form he took when trying to win over the world.

"What do you mean?" I ask

"I knew you would come here" he says "After all, I'm from the future as well Adamus"

"You know my name? You're from the future? Impossible"

"Oh. It is quite possible. You see. I arrived in the chamber just as you were transported back. The two Garde were caught by surprise, they died quickly, well, one of them did"

Anger flares in my heart. I will rip him limb from limb.

"How did you get Lorien to send you back?" I ask, barely able to control my voice

"The Eye of Thaloc. A very powerful weapon of my own creation. You know it can force people to speak the truth. People, and apparently, ancient entities. I 'persuaded' Lorien to send me back. But it had just enough control to meddle. Trapping me in this human form. With only my Dreynan and the Eye for protection. It stripped me of everything else. All of my power, gone. But my mind remains intact"

I can feel the ground start to tremble a small amount. I steady my breathing in an effort to control it. Clearly he is too far away for his Dreynan to work. John said that his Dreynan was basically a constant small area around him. He's too far away for that to matter.

"You filthy defector. You've gone soft. Thinking you can save these humans and the pathetic Garde. I AM THE ALMIGHTY RA! The most powerful being in the known universe. As the most powerful being I can restore you to your place within Mogadorian society. You can see your family again Adamus."

"No. And you're not what I'd call the most powerful being" I say, trying to sound confident but instead sounding really, really pissed.

"Have I hit a nerve in our conversation? Was it my killing Six and Seven? Were they friends of yours? Would you like me to replay their last moments?" He smiles a winning smile "I'm sure you're used to seeing Garde die by now"

My mind rings with a high pitch sound I can't control. It's getting out of hand. My head is screaming, it feels like it's going to explode. Setrάkus Ra looks at me with confusion, he shakes his head, as if there is a fly he'd like to shake loose. My head. It hurts. Pictures, places I've never been, things I've never done. It hurts.

I scream. Setrάkus Ra puts his hands over his ears immediately. It's not a normal scream. It's normal in pitch, but it seems to be magnified. I can almost see the sound waves emanating from my mouth. Ra's ear bleed. I can see it spill from between his fingers. His hands desperately cover his ears in an attempt to block out the noise. Suddenly I feel dizzy. Too much. I used it too much. A new Legacy. I look over at the Goode house. Everything is eerily silent. It seems perfectly intact. Maybe my Legacy only effects a small range. I had expected shattered windows and screaming coming from inside the house. But no. The only thing that is affected is Ra. He is lying on the ground panting. His ears still bleed. Blood oozes out. I should kill him now. While I have the chance. I begin to walk over. Ra stands.

"Another day then Adamus?" He draws a miniature cane from his jacket pocket. "Another one of Lorien's attempts to intervene. By making the Eye smaller. Its power cannot be judged by its size" He's speaking loudly. I guess he can't hear that well. "So long Adamus" He touches the cane to his forehead and disappears. I strain my hearing. I test my Earthquake Legacy to make sure he's not near me. A small tremble. He's gone. Does the Eye enable him to teleport? And what is my new Legacy? Am I a siren or something? A siren that can only target one person it would seem.

I trudge back to the car. If Ra knew I was coming he sure didn't expect me having Legacies. Or be willing to fight. I arrive at the car to find it undamaged. I quickly check it for any tracking devices. Ra may have planted something on the car to get me to lead him to the Garde. That would explain why he was friendly at first. I drop the tablet and drape the pendant around my neck. It feels right sitting there. Like that is where it belongs. My hands shake. I try to calm down. Try to ease my breathing. My adrenaline is high. And I feel it, the guilt. Six and Seven, dead. I picture their last moments. Distracted by my disappearing. I wonder how they died. Was it quick? Ra said that one of them was quick, did the other suffer? I realise that they don't have to be dead. I can still save them. Six and Seven are alive. And I'm more determined than ever to find them and kill Ra. I will unite the Garde and I will kill Ra with my very own hands. Malcolm stirs.

"Did it work?" he says

"I've got the tablet" I say "I'm not exactly sure how to work it"

"That's what you brought me for" he says, patting me on the shoulder

"I take it you remember how to work it"

"Of course" he says, as though the question were ludicrous

"It's just. In the future your memory isn't what it used to be. You were held captive for eight years. You forgot a lot of things"

"Eight years" he says. He looks lost in thought. I leave him to it. After a while he speaks. "Where to now?"

"You have the tablet" I say "Whichever is closest. Or we can start overseas, start bringing everyone to America. You decide Malcolm. We've got six years. Maybe less considering what I have just learnt"

"What happened?" he asks seriously "Is my family alright?"

"They're fine. I ran into Setrάkus Ra. He followed me back in time by corrupting the Loric entity"

"Ra is here? We are doomed" he says

"Not exactly. The entity was able to strip him of his powers, except for his Dreynan" Malcolm stares at me confusedly "Dreynan allows him to rid Garde near him of their Legacies. But only if they are near him. Lorien also managed to trap him in his human form"

"What was he doing at my house?" asks Malcolm

"He said he was waiting for me. I guess he knew I would come to inspect the well, see its contents" Then I remember something "No. He wanted me to open it for him. He said I had something he needed. The tablet. He wanted it to find the Garde" The pendant weighs down on my neck.

Malcolm nods. "Maybe. But if he's stuck in a mortal form, what good is the tablet going to do him? He may be able to find his past self. But what Mog would let him close enough for him to tell them about, well, everything" The pendant grows heavier. As though it's trying to tell me something. I take it off and stare at it in my palm. It glows. "Is that Pittacus' pendant?" Malcolm asks

"Yes"

"So that's why he was there" says Malcolm, slapping a hand to his forehead "He needs the pendant"

I hold up the pendant "This thing? It's just a pendant"

Malcolm shakes his head "Oh, no Adam. Don't be deceived. Its power cannot be-"

"-judged by its size" I finish "Ra said the same thing about a cane he had with him"

"Inside the cane is a small gemstone. Inside the pendant is a small gemstone. Combined they could accomplish wonders, or atrocities. Combined they would have the power to return Ra to his form and more. They would give him power like he has never known" Malcolm stares at the pendant

"How do you know all this?" I ask him

"Pittacus brought a journal to Earth. It took me a while to decrypt it, but I did. It turns out it wasn't a journal, it was a letter to me. He knew he didn't have much time so he wrote down the important points. With both gem stones. Ra could do some serious damage."

"Luckily I got to it first then" I place the pendant around my neck once more, expecting it to be heavy again. But it's not, it feels, again, as though it belongs there "The safest place it could possibly be right now, is with us. So Malcolm, have you decided? Which Garde do we contact first?"

"Well…"


	8. The Mistake

It has been five years since I've seen that face. I've grown, I've just turned 19. I guess he may have grown too. He'd be around 25 by now. He contacts me occasionally. Where he is, where he's going, what he's done. Stuff like that. He says we have to keep in touch so we can notify each other about current events or some bullshit. Part of me thinks he's just lonely and needs someone other than the old guy he has with him to talk to. I sit in my motel room. Hilde and I have just finished our daily training. As usual it has left me sweaty and exhausted. My Legacies have developed. My Earthquake Generation Legacy showed itself about two weeks after Adam left. Later on came the others. I can alter my own size. Hilde calls it Size Manipulation. Basically I can make myself really small, or really big, but I still retain my original strength when I'm in both forms. So making myself bigger doesn't make me stronger. The biggest I've been able to get is to be 6 foot tall. Adding half a foot doesn't really seem like much though. The smallest I've been able to get is around the height of a basketball. I guess that's the main purpose for this Legacy, to become small, not big. My third Legacy to form was a shield of some kind. I could create a bubble around myself. My last Legacy to form was my ability to control Earth. Hilde says it's called Geokinesis. I guess it could be useful at some point. But when that may be, I have no idea. It was supposed to be my Master Legacy after all. What am I supposed to do with that? Throw rocks at Mogs?

Hilde says everything has its purpose though, and one day it'll all make sense. I wonder how long Adam will be. The last time we spoke he said he was bringing Eight to us. All of the Garde are waiting in America. Only Adam knows the location of each one. All I know is that they are close, but not close enough to break the charm. I haven't spoken to Adam in a week. It's weird. I usually talked to him every couple of days. Even if it was just for a few minutes. Sometimes the talks went for a lot longer. I have grown more comfortable talking to him. I'm trying to be less sarcastic and demeaning. I try to forget that he's a Mog. He's proven himself dedicated to our cause. He had even killed his father in Russia. And on top of that he says he killed the rest of his family back in Ashwood Estates. That is some cold shit. And if it's true, then I can't really doubt his allegiance.

"Dinner" calls Hilde from the kitchen. I get up off my bed and make my way to the kitchen.

"Hey" I say when I reach the kitchen

"Hey" says Hilde "I'm worried about Adam"

I raise my eyebrows "I didn't realise you two had gotten close"

"Oh shut up" she says "It's been a week or so hasn't it? He said everything was nearly in place"

"Maybe he has bad cell reception" I offer. But I know Hilde is right. Adam has been gone for too long. Hilde looks worried "He can handle himself" I say

I saw firsthand what Adam can do. And if the stories he has been telling are true, and he did face Setrάkus Ra, then Adam has grown more powerful than I anticipated. It turns out he was right. Lorien gifted him with a full set of Legacies. We share the Earthquake Generation, he is also telepathic, can control water, and is fast. I'm not sure how fast he is. He hasn't said. His exact words were "Shit just slows down when I run. It's weird"

We sit in silence eating our dinner. Someone knocks on the door. I say the challenge "Who am I?" I ask

"I don't know" replies an impatient voice "Listen lady, this is hotel management. Your rent is due today. Come on, I got kids to feed" I open the door. Every night he comes by to collect our nightly rent.

I notice something is wrong immediately, that look on his face. He is terrified. I shut the door and dive out of the way. Too late. An explosion rocks the front of our room. I was able to avoid most of the shock by diving. I wonder if Hilde had seen that coming. HILDE.

"Hilde" I scream "Hilde, where are you?" The manager must have had a bomb strapped to him or something. Footsteps. I look at what used to be the doorway. Now it's a gaping hole in the wall. A Mog scout walks in the door, followed by a man that looks more like a celebrity. It's Ra. The future Ra. Adam had told me what he now looks like.

"Number One" he says as he steps through the former door. "A pleasure"

"Fuck off" I spit

He laughs. "Yes I have been warned that you are a fighter"

I try to shrink. Nothing happens. I try to create my shield. Nothing happens. I try and create an Earthquake. Nothing happens. I had forgotten about his Dreynan. He is around four metres from me. Of course I can't use my Legacies. One of the Mogs raises his blaster and fires, a yellow sphere of energy bursts from the barrel. It hits me where I lie. I'm stunned, literally I'm stunned. I can see and feel everything but I cannot move a muscle. I can't blink, I can't do anything. The two scouts go to pick me up.

"Wait" commands Ra "I want her to see this. Show her" the two scouts pick me up and face me towards where Hilde and I were having dinner. I can see Hilde now. She's lying in a heap of rubble with a large piece of the door piercing her abdomen. She's coughing up blood.

"One" she says

"Oh look, she recognises you. Strong woman" says Ra striding towards Hilde. "The pain must be unbearable"

I try to scream at him, tell him to get the fuck away from her. But I can't move, I can't speak, I'm powerless.

Ra draws out a small sword. "I want you to watch, helpless" he plunges the sword into her heart. I want to look away. I want to scream. Hilde was my best friend. Hilde looks me in the eye as her life seeps out of her. With a final gasp she falls limp. Never to get up again. I want to cry, but I can't. All I can do is watch as Ra says something in Mogadorian to the scouts. They give me to him. I feel repulsed by his touch. I hear something crackling. "If you're wondering what that smell is" he says "That is the smell of my scouts burning your beloved Cêpan. There will be nothing except for ash"

He throws me with surprising strength into a black van that is parked out the front. He sits in the back with me. Watching me. We wait for the Mogs to return. They hop in the front and we pull out. Why hasn't he killed me yet? He reaches over and readjusts my arms so my wrists are close together. I can't repel his touch. He places some handcuffs on me. He then pulls out a vial of green liquid from his jeans pocket. He injects me with the vial. Slowly I regain the ability to move. I sit up.

"There we are. Feeling better? The effects of the stun gun should be wearing off" he says

"Why am I still alive?" I say through gritted teeth. I strain against the handcuffs, they don't budge.

"Ah yes, that's Mogadorian steel. Far stronger than the steel they use here on Earth. You won't be breaking out of those anytime soon. And" he continues "I need you One"

"For what? I'm the first in line, no charm protects me"

"Oh I know. But why kill you, when I can kill the entire Garde"

"It was Adam wasn't it? He gave us up, what did you offer him? I swear if I see him again I'll rip his heart out"

Ra chuckles "Quite the opposite actually. We found you by accident. Merely a traffic camera caught you running a red light. Your photo was uploaded to the police database. And just like that" he clicks his fingers "We found you"

"I thought Adam had erased all of your data" I say, but right now it seems that what Adam may have done doesn't matter, he sold me out. After all this time, to think I had trusted him.

"He did" says Ra "A minor annoyance, set us back 4 years. But we had backups. We've conquered most of the known universe, if this has taught me anything it's always have a contingency plan. We had hardcopies of every single bit of information we've gathered. Including a photo of you"

So that's how they found me. A picture of me running a red light. Caught by a stupid fucking mistake, again. And Hilde died for that mistake.

"You haven't answered my question, why not kill me and get it over with?"

He sighs "And I told you, why kill you when I can kill the entire Garde?"

"I don't understand"

"We have apprehended the traitor Adamus. He has been quite reluctant to share any vital information with us. Which is why I'm on the way there, to make him more, open to discussion. I have heard he has a soft spot for you. Let's see if he'll divulge information when I start cutting your fingers off one by one" So Adam wasn't a traitor. I feel bad immediately. I had thought without a doubt that he had betrayed me. "I would also like for him to divulge the whereabouts of a tablet and a pendant. Both of great importance to me. It would seem as though he hid them. Or gave them to Eight"

"Eight?"

"Yes, Eight. Adam was bringing Eight from India. We have a contact there who alerted us of Adam's arrival. And when he returned we set a trap for him. Sadly, though, Eight eluded us. With, apparently, the locator and the pendant. Now that's where you come in" he looks at me "You will make him tell us where Eight has gone, and the locations of the other Garde. Or I torture and kill you in front of him" he smiles

"I thought you had a magic cane that could make people tell the truth" I say. Adam had told me in one of our phone conversations.

He smile widens "Ah you know about the Eye of Thaloc" He draws a small cane, about the size of a ruler out of his jacket pocket. "Yes, I plan on using it on Adamus as soon as we arrive. I have not had a chance to question him yet. As I said before, I have only just arrived. Arrived in time for all the fun as it transpires"

I'm uneasy as to what Ra considers fun. "I thought you said you already tortured Adam for information"

"I said 'we have', my workers. They work messily though. Blood and parts everywhere. Adam is barely alive right now. That technique yielded little results. So if the Eye does not work, which it will, I'll kill him. Put him out of his misery. And if it does work. I'll kill him anyway"

"No" I accidentally say out loud. Now that I'm faced with mine and Adam's impending death I realise that Adam is the closest thing to a friend I've had in a long time. Even though I haven't seen him in years. I had never gone a week without talking to him, hearing his voice.

Setrάkus Ra leers at me "Oh, hohohoh" he chuckles. A look of glee on his face "This is too good. Not only does he have a soft spot for you, but you have a soft spot for him. That will make this 'meeting' of ours go so much smoother. You don't want to see me hurt him. Would you like to see what my men have done to him? He may be hard to recognise, but it's still Adamus, I assure you" He pulls small photographs out of the jacket pocket where the cane had come from. He shows them to me. It's Adam. Five years older than he was. It's hard to tell how the years have changed him. He's shirtless. Wearing only boxers. Deep, precise slashes cover his torso and back. They're everywhere, down his legs, his arms, only his face is void of the cuts.

"This is what awaits you if Adam refuses to cooperate" says Ra. Watching me look at the pictures in horror. "I expect once I've started with you Adam will be all too pleased to tell me everything I want to know"

"He won't tell you shit" I say. I spit in his face. That wipes the smirk of the bastards face. He looks at me menacingly

"That was not very nice" He reaches for his pistol that he has holstered on his belt. He points it at me. "Someone needs to be taught some manners" Once again I am engulfed by yellow light. I can see and hear everything. But I can't move. The van stops "It looks like we're here" says Ra.


	9. The Reunion

The last day has been a blur. Or maybe it's been more than a day. I don't know. I'm hanging from the ceiling. The room has a low roof. So my feet are nearly touching the floor. My arms and legs are splayed out diagonally. Each of my limbs is handcuffed and is attached to the wall by a long piece of wire. Every so often they tighten the wire, stretching my legs further apart, pulling my arms from their sockets. It's a slow, painful torture. But they'll have to do better than that to break me. I don't know why, but the handcuffs they have on me limit my strength somehow, I feel weak. Every hour they spray me with some kind of gas. I'm not sure what it does. But after around five minutes they stop, and I feel weaker. Only to go stronger and then be gassed again. The gas isn't painful, it's just an annoyance. But what my captors don't realise is that this is what I wanted, what I had factored into the equation, what I deemed necessary to happen.

The slashes on my body were precise. Missing vital organs and arteries. I guess they perfected this technique on other humans. They slashes are arranged in vertical, parallel line down my back. On my chest and legs the cuts are diagonal, but also parallel. I have never known this type of pain. But I can't give in, inside my head is the location of every single one of the Garde. They've tried to look in my head. But it doesn't work on me. It's been unsuccessful, every time they try I can sense that they fail. I can see it on the faces of the workers, the frustration.

The Mogadorian true born that administers the cuts enters the room. "Adamus" he says genially "Our Beloved Leader is very disappointed in our inability to pry information from you. So he has brought it upon himself to make a visit. And as I understand it" he smiles "He's brining you a little incentive"

"Your Beloved Leader can go fuck himself" I try and spit on the Mog. He's too far away.

"That kind of behaviour will not be tolerated when Ra arrives. I suggest you keep your comments to yourself"

"He doesn't scare me" I say, trying to put conviction into my voice.

"Well, he should. I have been demoted from my position in his council because of my failure to get answers" he says angrily. He walks up to me, drawing the dagger from his belt. "The Beloved Leader wants time alone with you when he gets here. So this is our last chance to play. Now…" he rest the tip of the dagger on my stomach. "Where are the other Garde?"

"Ok" I say "Ok. I'll tell you" he looks at me expectantly "Mars" He slashes the dagger diagonally. Pain sears through my chest. I grit my teeth in an effort not to scream. Acknowledging the pain would only give him satisfaction, and I can't have that.

"That was not the answer I was looking for Adamus. Now where are the other Garde?"

My eyes go wide in astonishment and fear "Behind you"

He goes to slash at me again but a voice stops him "That will be enough" It's Ra, and One. One is lying down, motionless on a stretcher. The tears come, I've failed. She is dead. It was my job to protect her, and I have failed again. I had not factored One into my equation, how is she here? She shouldn't be here.

My torturer bows and takes his leave. Exiting out of the same door he came through.

"So we meet again Adamus" he says "Don't look so grim" he follows my gaze "Oh, yes, One. She's not dead"

I should be relieved but I know why he has brought her here. He's going to make me watch them torture her until I give up the other Garde. I wished she was dead. Now she is going to either endure agonising pain, or watch me give up the last of her kind.

He touches her with the small golden cane and her eyes open. I remember what Malcolm said about the cane, a set of two, the only other is in Pittacus' pendant. Luckily when I knew that Eight and I were cornered I gave him the essentials and told him to teleport away. Even if I die, which I don't plan on doing, Eight can still unite the Garde.

"Do you remember our last conversation Adamus?" I'm a little distracted. One has grown, she looks like she's nineteen or around there, and I can't deny it, she's hot. What am I thinking? Focus Adamus, focus.

"Yeah, I remember I kicked your ass and you ran away like a bitch" I sneer

He grins "I was referring to our conversation about the Eye. Do you know it can make people speak the truth? I did tell you that"

I'm scared. He knows the Eye will make me talk, he only brought One because he wanted to watch me suffer. We were never getting out of this alive.

He strides towards me "Tell me Adam, what is on your mind right now" he presses the Eye to my forehead. I feign a struggle

"One" I say

His grin widens "Oh. She must be special to you Adam, for you to risk so much"

I could stop myself, but this method might prove to be advantages. I continue to pretend the Eye is affecting me "I loved her" I say through gritted teeth.

One watches me, still seated on her stretcher. Handcuffed to it. I guess they're the same handcuffs as mine because she looks weak. Not like the One I know

"How touching" he says "We can get to the more heartfelt part of the conversation later. Adamus" he presses the Eye harder into my forehead. "Where are the other Garde?"

I watch as Ra questions Adamus. His confession of love shocked me, but I realised his tense. He had said 'loved'. He doesn't love me, he loved the other me. The Eye works. Ra doesn't need me. All hope goes out of me. He's going to kill me in front of Adam to spite him. To make him suffer.

"Where are the other Garde?" says Ra. This is it. It's all over. Years of planning undone. Adam will tell Ra where he hid everyone and Ra will kill them all.

Adam is sweating, struggling. He's going to give them up, I realise. We never should have trusted him.

"F…" he starts. Ra leans closer to him. All I can do is watch "F..uck you"

Ra's eyes widen "Impossible. Noone can resist the power of the Eye. How are you doing this?"

He looks at me. And I can hear him in my head. "When I give the signal, run. Do not look back"

"Adamus. You will answer me" commands Ra "How did you resist?"

Adam smiles and straightens in his chains "I've always been able to, Ra. I needed you to capture me. I didn't expect you getting to One. But no matter"

"What are you speaking of boy?"

Adam effortlessly breaks his chains. "Your men haven't gassed me in a while" he rips open the handcuffs. Now I have the chance to look at him. He's grown. Not up but out. He's gotten bigger and more muscular. No longer the scrawny boy I met in the police station. For the first time Ra looks scared. "Oh yes, I know the gas prohibits my Legacies from working. And your Dreynan is supposed to Ra. But you are weak" He speaks to me telepathically again "Run" he says in my mind. I don't I'm frozen. He looks directly at me. Beseeching me. I don't want to run, I want Ra to pay for what he's done.

Adam walks towards Ra and Ra screams. Adam isn't doing anything though. Ra's ears suddenly start to pour blood.

"I needed you to capture me, so I could find you and kill you myself. Goodbye Ra" Adam closes the gap between him and Ra in the blink of an eye. I don't see how it happened but suddenly Adam is standing over a limp and unmoving Ra, Ra's head is bent at an unnatural angle "That was for Six and Seven you piece of shit" Adam spits on Ra's body. It disintegrates. Turning into ash. The only thing that remains is a small golden cane and a pile of clothes. Adam picks up the cane.

"How?" I say as he walks over to me. He rips my handcuffs off. He shrugs

"Come on. I'll explain later" he grabs my hand

I follow him out of the door. Once outside Adam says "Wait here"

"Where are you going?" I say. I feel weak and don't want to be left alone right now

"You'll be fine. I would never let anyone hurt you. I'll be back, I promise"

He runs, faster than I've ever seen anyone run, one second he's here, and the next he's a blur. I can hear screams in the distance. Adam reappears in front of me, out of breath and covered in ash.

"What did you do?" I ask

He pulls me along "Paid a visit to that Trueborn who was with me when you walked in" We stop at a T-intersection. Both hallways looks long with many possible pathways. "Um" he says

"What?" I say "What's wrong?"

He spits something into his hand. A small blue stone. "For one. I could not keep that in my mouth any longer" he shudders. "And two, I kinda don't know where to go"

"Seriously?" he shrugs "Um, well. I came in from that hallway" I point to the left hallway.

"Are you sure?" he asks

"Yeah. I'm sure"

"Please don't hit me" he says. Before I can fathom a reply he picks me up. First I'm surprised. Then it's kind of gross. His cuts still bleed. He's still shirtless. Not only can I feel his abs pressed against me, but I can feel his blood coating my clothes. Suddenly we are a blur of wind and light. My head spins. A second later we are outside. He sets me down. I throw up. He pats me on the back "Sorry about that" he says

"You…bastard" I say between heaves.

"I'm sorry, but I really wanted to get out of there" He traces one of his slashes.

I calm down. Ok, that just happened. It was probably the weirdest feeling of my life. His blood is still on me, gross.

"Sorry" he says "It's not that weird" he actually looks a tiny bit insecure

"Wait" I say "Are you reading my mind?" I snarl

Adam looks incredibly guilty "Um, no, maybe" he says with a shrug

I swing at him, a wild vicious swing. I'm not really mad at him, but Hilde is dead now. Adam killed Ra and he's the only thing I can vent all my anger on. But he disappears and suddenly he's behind me.

"I'm sorry One. I'm sorry you lost Hilde. I really am"

Now I'm actually mad at him, he's reading my mind again "Stop…"I swing, he disappears "Doing…" I swing once more, his body becomes a blur and he dodges "That"

My arms go limp and my body sags. I fall to my knees and start to cry. Hilde is gone, and she's never coming back. I could not save her. I wasn't strong enough. We should have been safer, I should have been better.

Adam kneels in front of me. I have no more fight left in me. "I'm sorry" he says "I should have been there. But I'd thought you would be safe, if I knew my plan had endangered you I would have never done it" he hugs me. I return the hug. Not caring about his bloodstained clothes. He winces.

I had just slid my hand over one of his deep lacerations "Oh, I'm sorry" I say quickly. Not sarcastically

"I know you're scared, I know you're sad One" he starts

"Stop reading my mind Adam" I say. I hate him, especially him, knowing what's going on in my head

"I didn't" he says. We are still knelt in the grass. "Come on" he says. Offering his hand. I take it and he lifts me up with little to no effort. "Do you object to more running?" he asks

"I'm not exactly a fan of it" I say. In truth I really hate it.

"Don't be like that" he says

I swing. He dodges "I didn't actually read your mind this time. You are really easy to read"

"I'm a good liar" I protest

He gives me a disbelieving glance. "I know you One. You really aren't"

"Didn't you say we have to go or something" I say, trying to change the subject.

He looks to the horizon apparently deep in thought. "Yeah" he says. He's still holding the small blue stone he spat out and the cane he took off of Ra. Well I guess he has nowhere else to put them. Considering he's only wearing boxers. I catch myself staring at his abs. Which are clearly defined behind the deep scars. I don't know how long I stare. But suddenly Adam clears his throat and I jump "You ok?" he asks, eyebrows raised

"I'm fine, it's just. Those scars. They need to be healed, and quick"

He looked down at his chest as if noticing the array of thin, deep, diagonal scars that littered his chest in a parallel pattern. He shrugs.

"So you don't object to me running us there?" he asks

"Where exactly are we going?"

"The only Garde's that have healing capabilities are Four and Seven. But I don't think Four has his yet. So I guess Seven."

"And where is Seven" I say

"Not far. I kept her close because I knew what they were going to do to me" he casts his eyes down at his body.

"Can you even run dude?" I ask. Knowing full well he ran us out of that place. But that wasn't even for a second. This run of his could last a minute, or more. I don't really know where Seven is or how fast he can run.

He smiles, picks me up before I can even make a single protest and we speed off. The wind howls in my ears. A constant high pitch whistle. More of Adam's blood leaks onto me. The entire world is a blur of lights and flashing colours. I have no sense of how far we've travelled but around 20 seconds of this high speed running we stop. Adam is out of breath. He lowers me to the ground. I take a second

"You ok? You look like you're about to puke"

I squat. "I'm fine, I just need a second" He shrugs

"Adamus?" comes a voice. A girl's voice. I look up and see what must be Seven.

We are outside of a small cottage. I only now realise that we are surrounded by woodland. Tall pine trees stand guard all around us. The only indication of human habitation is the small, winding dirt road that leads off into the distance and the small wooden cottage that looks more like a hunting cabin.

"Oh my God Adam. What happened to you?" she hugs him.

"Ow. Damn Marina" he says

She looks at her feet "I'm sorry, I just, it's good to see actual people. Who's your friend?" she gestures at me. I'm still squatting in the ground. I still feel sick, like I'm constantly dizzy from that high speed running.

"I'm Number One" I say. I wave meekly "Hi"

Seven, or Marina as Adam called her elbows Adam in the arm and nods "So" she says with a devilish smirk "This is the infamous One"

"Come on Marina, cut it out" interrupts Adam "Can you heal these? Please?"

"Alright" she sighs "But it'll feel funny"

"I know, remember that incident with the goat, razor, car, and the illegal immigrant?"

Marina nods seriously "Yeah, that was" she takes a deep breath "…crazy"

I'm torn between laughing and taking this seriously, because they are. They look like some real shit actually went down involving a goat, razor, a car and an illegal immigrant.

Marina starts to heal Adam's wounds. It's mesmerising. When she wipes her hands over Adam's wound, her hands emit a faint blue glow and Adam's injuries start to mend themselves. The skin reforms and covers the injured area. Marina's brow is furrowed, and so is Adam's.

"What's wrong?" Adam asks her

"It's just, they're not healing properly. I don't know if it's been too long, or they used some special knife. But the scars, they aren't going away"

"Just keep going" he says through gritted teeth

10 minutes of Marina wiping her hands over Adam and she's done. All that remains are thin white scars.

"Damn" Says Adam "It looks like I was some manic depressive" He observes his scars and then shrugs "I guess it could be worse"

I look at Marina. She looks as though she's just been told she's got three hours to live. She's swaying where she stands. She falls.

Adam uses his super speed to run over and catch her before she hits the ground

"Hey, Marina. You ok?" she opens her eyes

"Yeah, I'm just exhausted. Healing really takes a toll on me. Especially that much"

"Yeah, I've got you. Just rest" she nods and Adam carries her through the open doorway of the cabin. The inside looks to be a single room. The walls covered in what looks like stuffed animal heads. Upon further inspection I discover that there is only one other room. This other room has three things in it. A toilet, a sink with a mirror above it and a shower. In the main room there is a double bed, a couch, a fireplace and a small kitchen area that only has a sink, a single walk in cupboard and what looks to be an ancient stove.

"This is quaint" I say as Adam sets Marina down on the couch.

"Yeah. Sorry I couldn't fix her up with a 5 star hotel" he says

"You could have fixed me up with a hotel. But no, its" I try an imitation of his voice "'One, go to these real stingy motels, it'll keep you safe, blah blah blah'"

He grins "Well. This is a riveting chat. But, as you can see, I have been deprived of the simple luxuries in life" He starts towards me

"Whoa, what do you think is about to happen buddy? Because, really, it's not. And frankly I will kick your ass if you try" He keeps walking towards me.

I'm kind of nervous. I grow myself to 6 foot to try and intimidate him but he is still a head taller than me.

"Very funny" He says. Only now I realise that he has stopped walking. He's just standing in front of me, looking at me pointedly. I turn and realise that I am standing in the doorway to the bathroom.

"Oh" I say "You want to shower"

"Yeah" he says as if it were obvious "This was never anything sexual. I mean, you could join me in the shower if you'd like" he starts

I swing at him, he dodges. It's infuriating

"Shut up" I say to thin air. I turn to see Adam now standing in the bathroom, he had zipped past me.

"Can you, like, move?" he says "I don't necessarily have a problem with you watching me shower, but Marina, she might not take it so well"

I slam the door in his face. I walk over to the only bed in the cabin and flop onto it. I'm so tired. It has to be around midnight. The shower starts. I think about what Adam said 'you can join me in the shower if you'd like'. Some part of me wanted to know what that would be like. No. He is the enemy. That may be true but he's kind of hot. No, I can't be having this argument with myself. He likes you though, Hilde had said so. Then a thought struck me. Where was Seven's Cêpan? Marina had said it was nice to see actual people. How long has she been out here? Alone and without a Cêpan to guide her. I look over at her still form. Her chest rising and falling. Her breath coming slow and steady. I start to drift. I can feel sleep enveloping me, welcoming me into its warm grace.

"ONE" yells Adam

I growl "What?" I yell back and then curse myself. I don't want to wake Seven

"I kind of didn't think this through" he says

"What do you mean?" I ask, walking to the door, only now I realise that the water has turned off.

"I mean. The only towel in here is Marina's, and I don't have a spare set of clothes"

Oh this was too good. Adam trapped and naked in a bathroom. With no way of getting any of his clothes. I recalled him telling me that he gave everything to Eight, or did he?

Part of me wants to kick open the door, half to humiliate him and half out of curiosity.

"Well" I say, drawing out the word "I don't have anything that'll fit you. I guess you'll have to stay in there until you can find some clothes"

"Wait" he says "I have a better idea" The door opens and for a second I wait in anticipation. This is going to be hilarious. But what did he mean by a better idea? He is naked in there? Is he going to rush me or some shit? A blur of wind is all that signifies his leaving. I twist my neck fast enough to see him race out of the front door. I'm confused. That seems to happen a lot lately.

I look in the bathroom. Nothing. Did he just leave me out here?

About 3 minutes later I'm lying on the bed. Again I start to drift. I'm so tired. I just want to sleep. Then a loud whoosh and the bathroom door closes.

"Adam?" I say

I hear rustling coming from inside the bathroom. Adam opens the door. "Ta da" he says. Spinning in a circle as though he is a model showing off his clothes. He's wearing a long sleeve shirt and some track pants.

"Did you steal those?" I ask, pointing at the clothes

"No" he says indignantly. I now look and see that he is holding a duffel bag in his left hand, his duffel bag.

"Where did you get that?" I ask, pointing at the duffel

"Oh yeah. I just went for a quick run back to that Mog base and got my duffel back" he lifts it up to show me

"You snuck into a Mog base naked?" I say, the grin effortlessly finding my lips

"Well, it's not like they saw anything"

"Yeah I bet, Adam junior too small to see?" I ask playfully

"Hey" he says "His name is Adam the Second. If you're gonna insult me, you better get it right" He sets the duffel down on the floor next to the door. He walks back into the bathroom and picks up the small blue stone and the cane from the basin. He puts them into a deep pocket in his pants. He then zips up the pocket.

He looks around the room. I lie back on the bed. Relishing in its warmth. It's cold out here, and the bed provides a little comfort.

"Hey" he says, all joking in his voice gone "It's good to see you" He's kneeling next to his duffel, staring at me

"Yeah" is all I reply. He stares into his duffel for a second and then pulls out a set of blue winter pyjamas. "Those would look good on you" I say

He smiles and then throws them to me. "They're not for me. I can tell you're freezing, drop the tough girl act. Take a shower, get into some warm clothes"

I don't know what to say. Usually Adam and I just joke around but he's being genuinely nice to me. It's a strange, and not entirely unwanted feeling

"Thanks" How does this guy know me so well? The shower is surprisingly warm. While I'm showering I realise what he's done. He's told me to go for a shower so he can quickly sleep in the bed. When I come out he'll be fast asleep in the bed. And the only options I'll have are to hop in with him, or sleep on the cold, hard floor. Well played Adam, well played.

I finish my shower quickly and get dressed in the pyjamas Adam gave me. They are surprisingly warm and comfortable. I grab up all of my dirty clothes and open the bathroom door. I expect to see Adam on the bed, but he's not. He is fast asleep on the floor. Curled up in a ball next to the couch where Marina is currently asleep.

I have a sudden burst of affection for Adam. He is a true friend, maybe the only one I have. This realisation makes me miss Hilde even more than I already do. I suddenly feel guilty. I had automatically thought the worst of him without a doubt. I had expected him to take the bed and leave me on the cold floor.

"Adam" I say, walking over to him

"Yeah" he grumbles. I kneel down next to him "It is a double bed you know? We can both fit on it" he opens his eyes a fraction and smiles "If you try anything though, don't think I'll hesitate to throw your ass through the roof"

His smiles widens "It's okay. I'm fine here" He pats me on the shoulder "Get some rest One, you deserve it" His eyes flutter closed and his breath goes into a steady rhythm.

I walk to the bed. Well, I did offer. I climb in, and slide under the sheets. The comfort and warmth I feel are amazing. There is a sudden rustling sound. Adam stands and walks over to the bed. At first I think he's going to take me up on my offer. But instead he just opens a drawer in the bedside table and pulls out a thick, woolly blanket.

"The only other one" he whispers "Don't worry. You can have the bed to yourself. You're not getting lucky tonight One" he winks and begins to walk back to the couch.

"Funny" I reply, watching him walk back to the couch. I expect him to lay down and snuggle into the blanket. But once more he defies my expectations. He places the blanket tenderly over Marina who smiles in her sleep. He then lays back down on the cold ground and I listen as his breath falls into a steady rhythm, in, out, in, out.


	10. The One57

I wake up to the smell and sound of food sizzling. I don't want to get up yet. The bed is warm and I can feel the cold air biting at my unprotected face.

"We'll be fine. I just need you to trust me" It's Adam. He's probably talking to Marina.

Marina sighs "That's what you said last time. You did the whole 'come with me and you will live' thing. Only not all of us made it out" Marina voice is steady until she says 'not all of us made it out', her voice cracks

I open my eyes a fraction and see Adam hugging Marina who is sitting in a chair at a small table that is set in the middle of the kitchen. He lifts her head up with his hand so she's looking him in the eye.

"I am sorry, Marina. I truly am. I thought I could save her. I didn't think that my Ra would be feeding intel to this versions Ra. I should've known, I should have protected her. But I couldn't, and what's done is done. This isn't like last time Marina"

"Promise?" she asks, her voice barely above a whisper

"I promise" he says. She nods. Adam stands and walks to the stove. He flips something in a pan and stands there watching it.

I decide now is a good a time as any to get up. I feel my stomach churn. I'm really hungry. I sit up. Neither of them notice me. There are two other seats at the table.

"What's for breakfast?" I say, hauling myself out of bed and slowly making my way over to Marina. I flop down in the chair next to her.

Adam turns and smiles "Someone isn't a morning person" he says

"What?" I say

Marina stifles a giggle "You're hair One. Go into the bathroom and check it out"

I stand and walk into the bathroom. Above the basin is a small mirror. My hair is extremely dishevelled and there are dark circles under my eyes. I don't have anything to brush my hair with, and I've never used make-up. Next thing I know Adam is leaning against the doorframe, smiling.

"Don't say it" I say "I'm really tired alright"

He shrugs innocently "I have no idea what you're talking about"

I scoff "Yeah, you do. Look at me" I gesture at my reflection

"You look fine" he says, entering the bathroom. "Here"

I turn, I realise that he is holding a shopping bag. "What is it?"

"Well. I went for a quick run and got you some things" He tosses me the bag, I catch it. He smiles at me again and saunters out of the room.

"Just then?" I ask

He turns "Yeah, shop isn't too far away. And at this hour of the morning I was the only customer so…yeah. Didn't take long"

He turns and starts to walk back into the kitchen. "Adam" he turns once again "Thankyou" I say and I mean it, I really do.

He smiles "No problem"

I face myself in the mirror once more and look into the bag. Inside is a hair comb, a bunch of bobby pins, a hair clip, a pair of casual clothes and…wait what are these? Are they seriously? I burst into laughter at what I've found.

"What?" says Adam, racing into the bathroom

I cannot control my laughter "I think" I start, but more laughter racks through me "You accidentally put these in there" I hold up the item which I had found. A small box of condoms.

Adam's face turns a brilliant cherry red which makes me lose my shit even more. In a blur the condoms are out of my hand. "It's not funny" he says insecurely.

I nod "But it is. When were you planning on needing these?" a smile still on my lips

"I don't 'need' them, but at some point in the past I 'needed' them" he says

"Damn Adam, I had no idea. Part time Garde protector, or whatever you are, part time lady-slaying machine. That box felt half empty"

He nods and grins "Very funny. I can't even comprehend how funny that is. Get your shit together and come have breakfast" he says, still smiling an awkward smile. He backs out of the bathroom.

A few more giggles and I'm done. I have exhausted my ability to laugh. Then the reality of it hits me. Adam has been having sex with people while looking for the Garde. I mean, I know he's only a man. And I've heard that guys have…you know…urges. Hilde gave me the 'birds and the bees' talk a while ago. But Adam never seemed like that kind of guy. I guess it was probably lonely out there, alone. I fix up my hair. There is nothing to be done about the circles under my eyes. But they'll fade, eventually. When I emerge from the bathroom I'm in the clothes Adam bought me and my hair is no longer a complete mess.

Breakfast is on the table "Glad you could join us" says Adam "Took your time. We've been waiting"

"Yeah, sorry" I say, eyeing the food hungrily. Adam has cooked scrambled eggs and bacon. "Are you sure you wanna eat this Adam? I mean, you gotta watch your figure. Wouldn't want you to get fatter"

"Hey, I'm perfectly healthy thank you very much" he retorts. Adam and I sit across from each other and Marina is to my right. Marina just sits silently, smiling at us.

"So why'd you wait for me?" I ask as Adam hands the pan containing the bacon to Marina.

"We didn't. I actually only just finished cooking" he says, spooning a generous amount of scrambled eggs onto his plate. We are silent as we eat. It's nice. For the first time in a long time I feel comfortable, almost happy. If only Hilde could be here. Then this moment would be perfect.

"So" says Marina, pushing her empty plate away from her. She didn't eat much "Where to now?"

Adam smiles a wicked smile "Now, Marina. Now we unite the Garde"

I roll my eyes "She didn't ask for an explanation, she asked for a location"

He shrugs "Well" he draws a deep breath. "I have had five years to set this thing up. And it is perfect. Nine is already there because his Cêpan is the more tech savvy of the lot. But I don't want to ruin the surprise. You guys will love it" He's smiling as though Christmas came early.

"Ok" I say "But does it have to be a surprise?"

"Don't worry" he says "Trust me"

"Fine" I say "But at least tell me whereabouts in the country we are going to"

"New York" he says

"And how are we getting there?"

He looks thoughtful "I don't know, maybe the car out the front" I look out the window over Adam's shoulder and there is a car out there.

"When did that get here?" I ask

"It's always been here" says Marina, she's looking at me funny "It's the car I came here in. Did you not see it when you arrived last night?"

"No, it was dark and Adam had just super sped me over here" I say defensively

"Anyway, you guys are driving. I'm going to run. Driving is too slow" Adam cuts in

"Run?" I ask disbelievingly "To New York. We are in Pennsylvania Adam. That is a 300 mile run"

"Yeah, and?" he says. I stare at him on shock "I'll be there in like 30 minutes"

"Are you telling me that you can run 600 miles an hour?" I say

He shrugs "Well, technically I can run faster than that it's just, you know, that's like my half-jogging half-sprinting speed"

"You can run faster than 600 miles per hour?"

"Yeah" he says as though it's obvious "I thought we'd already covered this, I'm fast"

"Is that what all the exotic women on your travels told you?" I say mockingly

"Funny" he says, and resumes eating

"How fast can you run?"

"I don't know" he says thoughtfully "I haven't tried to really go max speed yet. I haven't needed to"

Marina pipes in "You should really find out Adam, you need to know your limits"

"She's right Adam" I say. Marina smiles at me.

"Yeah…yeah. I know" He says

There's silence while we wait for Adam to finish his breakfast. I don't know how he can eat that much but he manages it. He picks up all of our dishes and places them in the sink.

"Ok. You guys should get to packing, the sooner we can get there the better. I'll get there first and tell Sandor to expect guests. And then I'll contact the rest of the Garde and give them the address" He zooms around the room. He is just a blur and a gust of wind.

Then he materialises in front of us. He is now wearing gym shorts and a light shirt. His duffel is strapped to his back. He looks like a backpacker. He starts to tie the shoelaces on his sneakers which he forgot to do while speeding around.

"Alright I'm ready to go" he says

"Adam" I interrupt before he speeds off "Aren't you forgetting something?" I say

He shakes his head slowly "I don't think so. You don't want to make out before I go, do you?" he adds jokingly

"Oh, you know me so well" I pretend to swoon "No, but seriously. You haven't even told us where we're going. What do we just drive around New York and hope we find you"

"Oh yeah" he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a slip of paper. "Put this address into your GPS and it'll show you where you need to go" He hands me and Marina fake drivers licences.

"Seriously?" I say "My name is Shauna Ghetto?"

He laughs "Yeah"

He speeds out of the house. "If we get pulled over I am going to kill him, slowly and painfully"

Marina laughs "He's already had slowly and painfully, remember?" The image of his body covered in scars flashes across my mind. Except he isn't bleeding, his scars are a faint white. Instead it's just the image of him in nothing but boxers that flashes across my mind. I push the thought away and turn to Marina.

"I guess we should get packing then" I say. Silently we pack our things. I didn't really bring anything here so my packing is done in less than a few minutes. All I needed to do was get my dirty clothes and throw them, along with the bag of things Adam got me, in the boot of the car. I think about what Adam said, that he used to need condoms. He never mentioned a serious relationship or anything when we talked over the phone. I guess because our conversations usually involved what I was doing, and where he was going. Not what he was doing. Still, some nights we had stayed up talking for hours. And he never said anything. I thought that we were, I wouldn't say friends, not then, but close.

Since I'm finished my packing I help Marina. She's been here two weeks so her things are spread out across the room. Once we're done we do one last sweep of the cottage. It is clean, and there are few possessions lying about.

"Whose house is this anyway?" I ask

"Someone's I suppose" she says "You ready?" she asks

"Yeah"

We walk to the car and I help Marina carry her two duffel bags and her Loric chest. We place them in the backseat of the sedan. And then I realise, my chest. It was in our motel room. The Mogs probably have it. Why didn't I think of getting my chest? Hilde had said that its contents could save my life one day. There's nothing I can do though. I have no idea where they were keeping me. I couldn't tell Marina to take me there, because I have no idea where it is. I slide into the front passenger seat and Marina sits in the driver's seat.

"What's the address?" she asks, toying with the GPS on the dashboard.

"Um" I pull out the slip of paper Adam gave me "157 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019, United States" I read out.

"Do you know what that is?" she asks "Where we're going?"

"No" I say "Maybe it's another hunting cabin? It could be anything"

The GPS tells us that this trip will roughly take 4 and a half hours. This is going to be a long drive.

We get bored early in the trip.

"Do you know what the radio game is?" I ask Marina. The radio game was something I had played with Hilde on our long car trips

She shakes her head. "Nope. I've never heard of it"

I smile "Well. It's pretty simple. We state something. Then we set the radio to random and see what the radio replies"

She smiles and glances at me "Really?" I shrug "Ok, I'm down"

"Cool" I say "Do you want to start?" I ask

"Sure" she says "What do I do? Just say a statement, or something?"

"Just start a sentence, and let the radio finish it" I explain

"Ok" she says with a sly grin on her face "You and Adam…" she says

I give her a look that says 'really?'

She hits the randomiser button on the radio and for a few seconds we hear static until it finds a station.

"…want sexual healing, sexual healing, oh baby" comes out of the radio

I immediately hit the off button and my face goes cherry red.

Marina breaks out in laughter.

"I don't see why you turned it off" she says

I avert my face from her stare so she can't see me blush. I've never actually done anything with a guy before. There had been times when Wade wanted to but I didn't. I knew that if we did, then what we had would be real, and I would lose it when we left. Of course Wade was a complete tool. I'm still not comfortable discussing 'that'.

She pats me on the shoulder "Come on One, lighten up. It's just a joke"

"Ok" I say "My turn. You are…"

I press the randomiser button "On the HIGHWAY TO HELL!" the radio screams at us. We laugh and spend the next hour playing this game. Some of our sentences make absolutely no sense but some are downright gold.

Four and a half hours later we arrive at the address Adam had given me. I open my mouth in shock. This can't be it, he had to have given me the wrong address.

On the bottom of the paper, written in small writing are the words 'Tell them you are part of the Space Invaders crew'

I smile despite myself. He's going to hold that one on me for a while. We walk up to the building, still staring in shock. The doorman opens the door and we step inside the building. This building looks crazy posh. The people who built it must have been super rich. Marble floors, marble columns rising up into the roof, a small river cutting through the lobby. We approach the front desk.

"How may I help you today?" asks the clerk

I look at the piece of paper in my hand. "Uhh. I'm with the Space Invaders crew" I say

I expect the clerk to call security but instead he smiles and says "One moment please" he picks up a phone and says "The guests have arrived…Have a good day sir" he hangs up the phone. "Mr Sands is on his way down"

I try not to look surprised at the name. Who is Mr Sands? I find out who Mr Sands is when an elevator to our left pings. I turn and see, oh my god is that Adam? He's combed his usually messy hair back like he is a business man. He's in a sharp blue suit with a red tie. I hate to admit it, but he kind of looks hot.

He smiles when he sees us at the front desk. "There you are" he says "You took your time"

"Well some of us mortals have to drive" I say

"Funny" he says "Hey Alfred how's it going?" he asks the clerk

"Great" he says "Will you require anything sir?"

"No thanks Alfred, I'll see you later" he takes our hands and drags us towards the elevator.

"What is this place?" I ask as we enter the elevator.

"Patience" he tuts "This is our lift. Only our keys, and Alfred's can operate it" He puts a key into the wall and twists. A pad appears on the wall "The password is 'Garde'" He types in the password on the pad's touch screen. The lift goes up. The number goes higher and higher. We get to fifty and still it goes higher. The lift clatters to a stop at 74. He hands us keys "These are yours, do not lose them" The elevator pings and the door opens "Welcome" My eyes go wide in shock. Inside is a huge apartment. No, not an apartment. It's the entire floor. "I own the top two floors in this building. Welcome to the One57" he says "The penthouse is upstairs, that's where all of the rooms are. Down on this floor we've got tons of shit" he steps out of the elevator, inviting us in.

"Wow" says Marina as she steps through the threshold

"I told you that you guys would love it" he says, sweeping an arm around the room.

"Wait" I say "What's with the suit dude?" I say

"Oh yeah. When I pay my monthly rent and have my meetings with the Shareholders, I can't really rock up in shorts and jeans. So yeah. I just got back from there. Plus, my new scars might raise a few questions. And I really don't want any questions. We don't need the extra attention"

"I thought you said you were gonna get the Garde" I say as we inch forwards through the massive lounge room that sits just outside the elevator. The TV is the size of a car.

"I already have. You forget One, I gave them all burners. Getting the Garde was just ringing them and telling them the address. Plus, you know I'm fast" he says

"Yeah, I know"

"That sounded DIRTY" comes a voice from down the hall. The owner is chuckling to himself. He's about the same height and build as Adam, but instead of being pale and having short hair this guy is tan and has long black hair. "Sup man" he says as he approaches us

Adam shakes his hands "Hey, nothing much, what've you guys been doing?"

"I just got the shit kicked out of me by Four" he turns to us "That kid has got some serious skill"

"Yeah I know" says Adam "Who do you think trained him?"

Nine laughs "Yeah, I should've seen it coming since he's your damn prodigy"

"Um" interrupts Marina

"Oh hi" says the tall guy "I'm Nine"

"I'm One" I reach out and shake his hand

"And I'm Marina" we all look at her "Seven" she finishes

"Nice" he says "So just Two, Three and Ten right?"

"Yeah" says Adam "Almost all of you are here. Come on" he says "Time to meet the last of your race" We go left immediately out of the elevator. I look behind me and see that there is another corridor, to the right of the elevator. We follow him through the apartment to a bowling alley where a bunch of teenagers play. One of them sits to the side, he's covered in sweat. I guess that's Four. I also guess that's why he's covered in sweat, because he just fought Nine. A blonde girl and an olive skinned guy pay each other out as they bowl.

The blonde boy that I think is Four stands and jogs over to us. I watch as he comes closer. He's just shorter than Nine and Adam. He has wavy blonde hair and an average build. I see the blonde girl glance over her shoulder to covertly watch the boy as he approaches. When she sees me watching she averts her eyes and returns to bowling.

"Hey" he says "I'm Four"


	11. The Introduction

"Hey" I reply. He shoves a sweaty hand forward. I shake it. He flips his long hair out of his face.

The blonde girl and the olive skinned boy cease their bowling and walk over to our little huddle.

The blonde girl shoulders Four on her way past. She smiles at him. He grins back knowingly.

"I'm Six" she says, stopping before me "What number are you?"

"I'm One. And this is Seven" I gesture at Marina

"I prefer Marina" says Seven

Six nods "Ok then, Marina"

The olive skinned boy jumps in, literally, he jumps. I think the word teleport would be more accurate. "Hi, I'm Eight"

"All right" interrupts Adam "We'll all have time to get to know each other soon. First let me take Marina and One to their rooms and they can get their shit sorted" The group disperses. "Come on" he says, walking away, back towards the elevator. This time we go down the other corridor. There is a single room at the end and then the corridor makes a 90 degree left turn. Suddenly I'm faced with a staircase. Adam trudges up it. We follow.

"What's in that room?" I ask as we walked up the staircase

"The room just down there? At the end of the hall?"

"Yeah" I say

"Oh, that's just the surveillance room. I'm pretty sure Sandor is in there, messing with stuff"

I nod. This place is pretty damn cool. We reach the top of the stairs. The corridors split off into two directions. Forwards and to the left. To our right is a door. We walk down the left corridor.

"Along this corridor is your room One" Adam says. The first door on our right has a name plastered over it 'Adam'. To the left of this door is another, on this door it is titled 'One'. We stop. "It goes in order. Along this one is yours" he gestures at me "Two's, Three's, Four's and Five's. Down the other corridor are Six's, Seven's, Eight's, Nine's and Ten's rooms"

"What's in that room" I say, gesturing down the corridor towards the solitary door next to the staircase.

Adam rubs his wrists self-consciously. "Nothing" he says. He opens my door and hands me another key. "This is yours" he says

"Is it a coincidence that your room is next to mine?" I ask jokingly

He grins "I'm using my evil Mogadorian ways to make you fall for me. Is it working?" He asks

"Like a charm" I open the door. Inside is a huge room. Probably bigger than some of the houses I've lived in over the years. To my right is a small laundry room. Further on it opens out into a large space where a huge double bed lies. Just past the bed is the bathroom. The bathtub is nearly the size of the bed and the shower is decked out with a dozen tiny nobs.

Adam walks into the bathroom and takes a breath "The shower is fairly complicated. Basically" he points to the two bottom nobs "Turn these for hot and cold. The others are to add stuff. Like scented shit, or bubbles, or…I can't even remember. But anyway. The two bottom ones are the only ones you need to worry about"

"Does my room look like this?" asks Marina

"Yeah" says Adam "They're all identical. Except for mine. Because I added kick ass shit to mine. You guys can add stuff to if you want. Just run it by me and I can order it" he turns to me "No crazy sex machines though. These walls aren't soundproof"

Marina abruptly laughs and in doing so, spit flies from her mouth.

I laugh at Marina. Adam just stands in the bathroom and smiles.

"I'll let you get familiar with your room" he says "Come on Marina. I'll take you to your room" They leave the room.

I've never really had a place I could really call my own. This place is so cool. There is a TV hung on the wall opposite my bed. The remote for it lies on one of my two bedside tables which rest at the head of my bed. I tentatively touch the bed. It is amazingly comfortable. It's warm and welcoming. I have the urge to just curl up in a ball and sleep for a while. And then I notice it. My chest. How had I not noticed it before? It sits at the foot of my bed. A note is stuck to the top. It reads 'You're welcome – Adamus' Again I feel a rising surge of affection for Adamus. But I'm also tired and worn out from the past few days. I lie down in the bed and I think I fall asleep. The next thing I know Adam is standing next to my bed.

"Hey" he says as my eyes blink the sleep out of them "I've been gone for half an hour and you're already asleep

"Shut up" I say

"Your friends are here"

I shoot up into a sitting position "They're here"

He nods. I swing myself out of the bed. All tiredness forgotten. I walk into the hall where Marina leans against the opposite wall. We walk down stairs. Just in front of the elevator a large living room sits the Garde, and the remainder of the Cêpans.

The Garde are all seated. And the three Cêpans left are standing above their respective Garde.

Adam follows closely. Marina and I take a seat on the two unoccupied couches.

Adam clears his throat "So, I'm sure you all know who I am" he starts, he doesn't get a response, just blank stares "Anyway, I was sent here to protect you" he gestures at us "All of you" he nods at the Cêpans. "And…" he takes a breath "I have failed" his voice cracks. Is Adam really crying or something? "I'm sorry. I really am. I thought I could save you, all of you" Four stands and walks over to Adam. He whispers something in his ear and pats him on the back. Four returns to his seat. Adam clears his throat once more, and all previous sadness or regret out of his voice, continues "Introductions, how about in order?" he gestures at me.

I scan the audience, everyone's eyes are trained on me "Hi, I'm One" I say lamely

"Great" says Adam "Next"

A small redhead girl raises her hand, she is with her Cêpan "I'm Two, but I like the name Maggie"

A slightly dark boy pipes up, he is without a Cêpan "I'm Three, but I've been called Hannu my entire life"

Four starts next "I'm Four" Four is one of the few with a Cêpan "But I prefer John"

"As we all know. Five couldn't make it" says Adam "So we'll skip him for now"

"I'm Six" says the girl who introduced herself in the bowling alley.

"I'm Seven" says Marina shyly "But my name in Spain was Marina"

The boy who can teleport says loudly and confidently "I'm Eight"

Nine stands and flexes his arms which are clearly visible in his sleeveless shirt "I'm Nine" He too has a Cêpan, I think Adam said his name is Sandor

Six rolls her eyes and the youngest of us giggles. She is next "I'm Ten" she says in a high voice "But I think I like Ella"

"And now the Cêpan" says Adam

Maggie, or Two's Cêpan speaks up "I'm Conrad"

Four's is next "I'm Brandon, but I've grown fond of Henri"

Nine's Cêpan is last "I am Sandor"

John speaks "Great, now we're all acquainted what we do?" he looks at Adam

Adam shrugs "I don't know, I haven't lived in this time period"

"Seriously?" I say "Adam, you found us and brought us all together, and now you don't know what to do"

"Fine" he says "We wait"

"What?" yells Nine "No, we've gotta kill things"

"You, One and Four maybe" says Adam "But the others aren't ready, they have developed their Legacies, but they haven't really trained. Each of us needs to know our limits before we fight a serious battle. I say we wait, and train. If a threat arises, those who are the most experienced can go and deal with it, while the others train"

"So what?" says Maggie "We just wait here while you guys do the dangerous stuff? We are a team, we're strongest together"

Adam sighs "Fine, we can all go. But right now, nothing is going down. So we train until we're needed. I have some shit I have to sort out with Sandor. So if you wanna mingle, then mingle. Come on Sandor"

Adam and Sandor walk back towards the security room.

There is an eerie silence after they leave. "So" I say, breaking the quiet "What are everyone's Legacies?"

"Why don't we start with you" says John "And we'll go in order again"

"Oh, ok. I can create Earthquakes, I can alter my size, I can create a bubble shield around me and I can control the element Earth"

"Wait" says Nine "what do you mean you can alter your size?"

I stand and shrink to the size of a basketball. Nine laughs "Damn, that's cool"

Two is next. She looks at her Cêpan for support, he nods "Conrad says I have increased Intelligence, I can also fly, I have a version of Lumen, and I can pass through objects"

"You have Lumen?" asks John, his hands look like they have a faint glow.

"It's a version of Lumen, I can use it on another Garde to power them up, it's kind of like an energy boost"

"Do it on me" says Nine, walking over to her. She looks at her Cêpan and he nods. She shrugs, he hand glows and she presses her palm into Nine's chest. His veins glow a bright blue, and his eyes become globes of blue light. After two seconds she pulls her hand away, a bead of sweat running down her face.

Nine breathes heavily "Woow" he yells. He starts to pace "Oh, I'm so pumped, let me hit something, let me kill something" he's talking really fast

"Alright calm down" says John

After a few moments Nine simmers down "That was crazy, it's like that feeling you get when you kill a Mog, but better" everyone stares at Nine "What?"

"Anyway" says Three "I have increased agility and speed, although I'm not as fast as Adam. I can jump really high and far, and I can land it. So, like, if a fell from a tall building I could land without breaking any bones. I think it's just increased leg strength. I can change the shape of object for a small period of time" he grabs a cushion and his brow furrows. Suddenly he is holding a pistol. He lets go of it and it transforms back into a cushion. "Adam says it'll get easier over time, that I should be able keep something changed after I've stopped touching it. My Master Legacy is I can harness electricity or power, I'm not sure"

"That doesn't sound like a very powerful Master Legacy" says Nine

Three raises his eyebrows "Really? Give me your phone"

Nine shrugs and throws Hannu a burner phone. Hannu catches it. Electricity sparks and Hannu takes a deep breath. He throws Nine back his phone. Nine tries to power it up "Great, your Master Legacy is giving me a flat battery"

Electricity sparks from Three's finger tips and heads straight for Nine. It shoots in a straight line and hits Nine squarely in the chest. Nine is knocked on his arse. He stands slowly, staring at Eight.

He laughs "Ok, my bad. Turns out that could be useful" Hannu stands and bows. The room applauds, including Nine.

Four is next "I have Lumen, I am fireproof, I can communicate with animals telepathically, I can heal people and I have weird visions. I don't have my Master Legacy yet, I don't think"

"I can control the elements and I can turn invisible. I think my last Legacy is also just my ability to fight, I'm not sure, I don't really have any other powers" says Six

"I can see in the dark, breath underwater and I can heal people. I also don't have a Master Legacy yet" says Seven

"I can teleport, I can walk on water, shapeshift and I also have 'weird visions'" says Eight

"I" says Nine, standing tall "can give my Legacies to other people, change gravity for me, anti-gravity as Sandor calls it, animal telepathy, super speed, super strength, and super hearing"

Ella is last "I can change my age, I have telepathy and Dreynan" she says

"Like Ra?" I say

Ella looks at her feet "Not exactly, I can only use it on objects, I can't make a field like he can"

After all of our introductions are finished we kind of break into two groups and starts talking. Four and Six sit side by side on a two seater couch deeply immersed in a conversation about which fighting style is better, Jiu-jitsu or Karate. Nine, Eight, Three, Seven, Ella and me are all huddled together discussing our lives on the run. I learn that Eight lived most of his life in India, and Three in Kenya. Our Cêpans leave us and go towards the kitchen. They all make coffee and stand around the kitchen talking avidly about something. Eventually Four and Six leave down the left hall.

"Where are they going?" I ask peering after them

Nine smiles "I was listening to the whole thing" he points at his ears "They're going to the training room to sort out their argument"

"They aren't going to seriously fight each other?" I ask

Nine nods and his smile widens "Oh they are, and I have got to see this" Nine jumps up and runs after them. I follow. The rest of the group seems uninterested and continues their conversation.

"Wait up" I say, jogging to catch up with Nine. He slows down. We walk past the bowling alley. At the end of the corridor a door to our right sits slightly ajar. We open it. Inside is a small room with a glass pane stretched across an entire wall. On the other side is a large training room. It looks like everything in there is padded, the walls, the ceiling, everything. John is tying his hands up with tape and Six does the same. John removes his long sleeve shirt to reveal a loose singlet. Six peels off her top to reveal a training bra.

Nine's mouth goes wide open into a goofy grin. I punch him in the arm "Hey" I say "Earth to Nine"

He shakes his head "Yeah, sorry. It's just, I didn't realise she was so…"

"Alright I'm gonna stop you right there buddy" I interrupt. John himself doesn't look that bad. He isn't quite as built as Nine. But his arms are still clearly defined. He puts his fist out in front of him.

Six taps it with hers. They both put mouth guards in and assume a fighting stance. Six throws the first punch. A wild haymaker. John blocks with his left forearm, and in a swift movement he tilts his forearm to the right and uses his elbow to send Six's arm up, this stuns her for a split second, John then lunges forward and thrusts his elbow towards her face. It connects with her jaw. She falls to the ground.

"Damn" yells Nine "That's my boy"

Just like that the fight is over. One swift block and counter from John. He takes out his mouth guard and kneels next to six, she's unconscious. He goes to shakes her shoulders and she jolts up, kneeing him in the stomach, he doubles over and she's on his back. She wraps her arms around his throat and lies on her back. She wraps her legs around John's body. John tries with all his might to get his hand under her arm to relieve the pressure but Six doesn't give. John taps lightly on her arm and Six releases him.

Six takes out her mouth guard, she's smiling widely. John is bent over trying to regain his breath. His throat looks extremely red, and Six's right cheek is just one big bruise.

He puts his fist out again and Six bumps it "Just remember that Johnny boy" she says

"Remember that you cheat" he rasps

She laughs "All is fair in love and war"

John grins "Come here" he says

She walks slowly over to him. He gently caresses her cheek. It's kind of awakward to watch. John hold Six's cheek while they stare at each other. For a moment I think that Nine and I are spying on a romantic moment. But then John removes his hand. The bruise on Six's face is gone. He was healing her. Six clears her throat, she looks somewhat flustered.

"Well thanks for the fight" she says

"It wasn't much of a fight" John jokes "Anyway, nice moves"

They walk towards the door and see us through the glass. Nine is smiling a large goofy smile. John drops his head and sighs. "I'm never going to live this one down"

Six smiles "If you ever forget what happened today" she gestures at Nine "he won't" they enter the small observation room.

"Nice moves Johnny" says Nine

"Come on" he says "Get it over with" he starts unwrapping his hands. His throat is still red and looks like it might bruise

"You got your ass kicked by a girl" Nine sings

John is nodding and smiling the entire time. Six watches smugly from the corner. John remains silent throughout Nine's song.

When Nine stops John raises his head "You done?" He throws his hand tape into a bin I had not noticed, Six does the same.

"Yeah, for now" says Nine

Sandor and I leave the group and head for the security room. Once inside I see them. The two stones. One gold, and one blue. They sit in the middle of the room on a small metallic table. Each has their own small glass box for protection.

"What is the problem?" I ask

"I'm not sure" he says

I'm frustrated "You've been working on this for two days, what do you mean you're not sure?"

"I don't know what to tell you Adamus"

I press my hands to the side of my head and massage my temple "I thought you confirmed it, you said that the golden gem from the cane is one of the two stones"

"Yes, it is" he says "But there's something strange when I test the two of them. These stones, when they touch they merge to form one stone, so the legend goes. And with the completed stone the user would have the power of Pittacus Lore. It was a way, in the older times for Pittacus to seek assistance. He would entrust one being with the stone. Then the threat of Ra became clear when Ra was removed from the council. Reports say that Pittacus split the stone, he kept one on his person at all time and hid the other, far away. I guess Ra must have found it"

"So the stone has power, I know that. But why won't it work?" I ask

"I don't know. But I have a theory. Watch" He taps the glass on the blue stone lightly. A recording of the sound appears on the computer screen. He taps on the glass containing the golden stone, another recording below the original appears. Sandor works his computer magic for a few minutes, isolating the sound. "Alright" he says after a few minutes "This recording here is the sound of my finger tapping the glass" he plays it "The sounds are identical for both stones"

"There better be a point to this" I say

Sandor smiles "But this" he opens up a new tab and plays a new sound. And then he plays the other, the sound waves look and sound completely different "This is the sound of my finger tap bouncing off of the stones"

"I don't understand, the sounds are different though"

"Exactly" says Sandor "I believe that these stones have settings, no, more like frequencies. And the blue stone can only interact with another stone of the same frequency"

I finally get it "So, what you're saying is the blue stone from this timeline has to be paired with the gold stone from this timeline, the two stones from different timelines are not, compatible?"

"Yes" he says pointing at me "yes, you're getting it. You would need this version of Ra's stone to combine the two"

I sigh when the realisation hits me "That means that Ra needs this stone" I gesture at the blue stone "And by bringing it here I have put us all in danger"

We leave the training room. For the rest of the day we just laze around the apartment. Six and John go and have another few rounds in the training room. Adam and Sandor come out of the security room after a while. Adam looks tired, not physically, but mentally. He looks exhausted.

Marina and Eight make everyone dinner. Tonight we all sit at the long dining table and eat, we laugh, share jokes and just be teenagers. Adam has changed from his suit to casual attire, jeans and a plain white t-shirt. After dinner he stands.

"I'm sorry but I'm going to call in for the night"

"Night" everyone calls as Adam walks towards the staircase

"Goodnight" he calls back

I feel tired too, it's been an exhausting few days "I think I'm gonna go to bed too" I say. I get up and follow Adam.

I enter my room and don't bother to take of my dirty clothes. I drop onto the bed, I don't even worry about the covers. I fall asleep.

Sometime in the night I wake. I can hear a faint sobbing sound. It's coming from Adam's room.

"Please, no, not that" Adam pleads. I can hear him thrash around in his bed

"Please, don't hurt her, hurt me, please" he pleads. He sounds like he's in real pain. I hop up out of my bed and walk out into the hallway. Adam's room is right next to mine. I guess our bed heads are pressed against the same wall. I slowly open his door. I turn on the light. He is thrashing in his bed. Sweat covers his entire body.

"No" he twitches "No stop, don't touch her"

"Adam" I say quietly, not wanting to wake the others

"No" he continues

"Adam" I say louder, drawing closer. I touch his arm and Adam's eyes fly open. He grabs my arm and pins it behind my back. "Adam" I yell in surprise

He released me immediately. He sits back in his bed and holds his knees to his chests. He looks so small. I stretch my arm. If Adam is anything he's strong. Damn that hurt. He rocks back and forth.

"I'm sorry" he says

"What's going on with you?" I ask. He averts my gaze. He stops rocking and sets his feet on the floor. Just like that he no longer looks like a small child, but the Adam I know.

"It's nothing" he smiles "go back to sleep"

"Are you sure?" I ask "If you wanna talk about you know you can"

"I'm fine. Really. Go back to sleep"

"Alright" I say. I walk out of his room and back into mine. I wait just inside my door. I hear Adam's footsteps going down the hall. I open my door a fraction and see Adam disappear into the door near the staircase. The door Adam said that nothing was inside. So if nothing was in there, why is he going in there? The door closes. I decide to ask Adam about it tomorrow.

The next morning I try and be the first awake, to confront Adam and get a glimpse inside that room. But Adam beats me to it. I walk into the hall to find Adam locking the door near the staircase.

"Hey" I say.

He looks up and rubs his wrists "Hey" he says back

His wrists looks red, and so do his ankles. They look like he's been tied down or something. "What was that last night?" he takes his hands away from his wrists, and I can see them clearly now, they look like they've been scrubbed raw.

"It was nothing" he says "Don't worry about it. I'm sure everyone has nightmares"

"Alright" I say "I get that you might have nightmares Adam. What I don't get is why you attacked me last night, why you went into that room, and for god's sake what happened to your wrists?"

He rubs his wrists again "Don't worry. You just startled me is all. And there's nothing in that room, I just go in there to think sometimes"

I scoff "Fine, you don't want to tell me. I'll figure it out on my own anyway" I march downstairs


	12. The Murder of Hart

Things between me and Adam are tense for the rest of the morning. He avoids me as best he can. But I still manage to corner him on occasion and interrogate him.

"Adam" I say as he walks out of the downstairs bathroom

He jumps "Jesus" he says "Don't do that, you scared the shit out of me"

"You already know what I'm going to ask" I follow him to the sink where he washes his hands. He looks at me in the mirror and feigns stupidity

"No, I really don't"

I stomp my foot "Adam. Come on. Don't you trust me? Just tell me what's in the room, the mystery is killing me"

Adam's friendly demeanour is gone "That room is not a mystery, it's none of your business. Just let it go, please"

I can understand that Adam wants to keep it personal. Truth be told I don't know why I'm pressing him for information. I guess it's just I hate seeing one of my friends go through something like that. I remember something he said a while ago. That Nine and Sandor had been here for a while. Maybe Nine knows what's going on, maybe he knows what's in the room.

"I'll find out Adam" I say as I leave him in the bathroom, his wrists still look raw.

I find Nine in a games room. Him, Eight and Four are in the middle of playing pool. It's Nine's turn, he swings his cue at the white ball. It misses its target and sinks into the whole. Nine hangs his head in shame and John laughs.

"Hey" says Nine indignantly "At least I didn't get beat up by a girl"

I notice Six sitting to the side, at what looks like a small bar

She gives Nine a thumbs up.

"Hey" says John when he sees me walk in

"Hey" I say dismissively. I walk up to Nine "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"You already are" he says, polishing the tip of the pool cue.

"In private" I whisper

"Fine" he replies, sounding exasperated

We walk out of the games room. The others watch us go. I hear Six in the background "I did kick your ass though John"

"You wish" I hear John retort. I close the door to the games room and their voices dim

"What do you want?" asks Nine "Is it to know if I'm single? Because there is a long line of ladies waiting for a piece of this" he tenses his bicep and smiles

"Ummmmm, no" I say "I want to know about the room at the top of the stairwell"

His smile fades and his arm drops to his side. "This was a bad idea" he starts to turn away

I grab his arm "No, tell me" I say

"You really shouldn't be messing around with that kind of stuff" he says

"What stuff?" I ask

"Adam stuff, that room stuff. Alright, just, whatever you saw, let it go"

"I can't. And I will find out eventually, so why don't you just tell me?"

Nine is struggling and I can see something inside him relent. "Alright, fine. Adam has nightmares"

"I know that" I say

He shushes me "You might know that but won't you don't know is how scary Adam is when he's scared. I was only here for a little while when I heard him on one of his 'bad' nights. I tried to wake him up and he nearly killed me"

"What does this have to do with the room?" I ask "And they're just nightmares, it's not like they're real, they can't hurt him"

Nine scoffs "You really are blind, and just wait, I'll get to the room. So, where was I? oh yeah, Adam nearly killing me. So he fashioned a room. He soundproofed it and decked it out to keep us safe if he has a 'bad' night again. And he doesn't dream about people hurting him"

"Firstly, what do you mean 'decked it out'? Secondly, I'm pretty sure he does. I heard him last night, he kept saying 'not that, don't hurt her, hurt me'"

Nine raises his eyebrow as if waiting for me to get something. When I don't he sighs in exasperation "You are so blind. The room has these super strong handcuffs in it. Basically he cuffs his ankles and wrists to the floor so he won't hurt anyone"

"So that's why his wrists are all red"

Nine nods "Yeah. He wouldn't have to but sometimes he sleep walks, and it would be bad news for someone to wake him. So he cuffs himself some nights. He had a good stretch of sleeping normally until he went to get you"

"What about me made him not sleep?" I ask

He throws his hands up in the air "Do you not get it?" he nearly screams. I shake my head "It's you. It's you" he says again "He doesn't dream about people hurting him, he dreams about people hurting you, and him being powerless to stop it" And just like that it clicks. What he was muttering in his sleep, the look in his eyes when Ra had brought me to him. "He likes you One. But you're too blind to see it" Nine turns his back on me and re-enters the games room.

Now it's my turn to avoid Adam. I can only assume Nine has told him about their discussion. To my surprise Adam does not seek me out to talk. He does what he normally does. He trains with us, spends a few hours in the security room with two stones. No one can be bothered to cook tonight so we order takeout.

As it nears 10pm we start to drift upstairs. Adam and I are the last two to make our way up. On the staircase I stop Adam.

"Adam" I say

He halts "Yeah?"

"Don't go in there" I say "Don't cuff yourself"

He drops his head "I have to, I don't want to hurt anyone"

"You'll be fine" I say "We're all here, we're all safe. You did it. You saved my life" I say, trying to get across that I'm fine, while trying not to admit that I know what his nightmares are about.

He nods "Ok. But I can't promise I won't go in there again"

Adam turns from the door near the staircase and heads to his room. Just before I enter my room he looks at me "Thankyou" he says before opening his door and disappearing inside his room. I do the same. I take a small shower, careful not to use the wide array of nobs, just a hot shower will do for tonight. I lie in bed but I can't sleep, I don't know why. After a while I hear it and my heart drops.

"Please, don't hurt her, hurt me" Adam pleads "I'll tell you anything, just let her go. One, don't leave me, please, not again, I can't lose you again" I've heard enough. I need to wake him up.

I walk into his room and hold his arms firmly against his side. His eyes shoot open and he struggles at first but after a moment he calms down.

"Thanks" he says

"No problem" I reply. I got to leave but Adam's voice stops me

"One" he says at my retreating figure

"Yeah?" I reply

"Could you…." He starts

"Could I?"

"Could you stay? Just…I'll sleep on the floor or something, could you just stay until I fall asleep?" he looks at me pleadingly. I don't know why I do, but I say yes

"Ok" I say "But this is your room, and it's a huge bed, we can both fit Adam"

He nods slowly "Thanks"

"Don't think this is more than what it is Adam. Don't think you're getting lucky tonight" I can't see him, but I can feel his grin. I climb into bed next to him. The bed is so large that there is probably a good metre between us. Only now I realise that Adam is shirtless, only wearing boxers. Only now do I remember that I'm only wearing boxers and a tank top. Oh well, it's not like he can see anything anyway.

Adam lies on top of the covers. His breath comes in slow and heavy. "You ok?" I ask

"Yeah" he says "I just need a minute, just to calm down. Actually, I'm gonna go for a quick shower, just to get all of this sweat off of me"

"Ok" I say. I roll over and face the door. Adam leaves the bed and I hear the shower turn on. I roll back over and watch the shower door. What am I doing here? But I suppose the more disturbing question is why do I feel like I want to be here, like I should be here? I push the thought out of my mind as Adam opens the shower door. He's still wearing only boxers. I roll back over as Adam climbs into the bed.

"Goodnight One" he says

"Goodnight Adam" Sleep comes easy. I wake feeling rested and full of energy for the first time in a long time. Adam is still asleep, then I realise how close we are. We are super close. He must have moved closer in his sleep. Then I look at the bed. Adam is on the edge, I moved over, I moved closer to Adam. Now, of all times, Adam wakes up.

He smiles "Hey" he says

"Hey" I return

We just lay there, watching each other. I'm not exactly sure how to proceed.

"No more nightmares?" I ask

He props his head up on his hand "Nope, not one" he replies, still smiling "What are you doing?" he asks

"What?"

"Why are you all the way over here?" he asks

"Sorry" I say "I'm a bit of a bed hog"

"I didn't say it was a bad thing" It's a really cheesy thing to say but for some reason I'm willing to accept this one-liner instead of snapping at him

"You really are cheesy" I say "This was your plan along, to get me into your bed"

He smiles "I told you at the beginning, I positioned our rooms next to each other so you would fall for me. And alas, that day is here"

I smile back. Without really thinking about I lean forward and kiss him. At first he is surprised, he probably thought we were still joking around. The kiss is long and slow. Finally we break apart, gasping for air

"Wow" he says, he has a weird, goofy grin on his face that makes me laugh "I was not expecting that" he says defensively

I continue to laugh. He shuts me up with another kiss. I have no idea what I'm doing. This is Adam. I just slept in his bed, and now I'm kissing him, and it feels completely normal. What is happening?

If there were an award for bad timing it would go to Marina. She chose that exact moment to walk through the door. She started "Adam…" We immediately broke apart and Marina covered her eyes and turned around. "I didn't see anything, I swear. I'm just gonna go" she starts to leave

"Hey" says Adam "We aren't naked. You're fine. What do you want?" he's playing it cool. The same can't be said for me. I'm hiding under the sheets.

"It's all over the news" she says entering the room. My momentary shame forgotten I peak over the covers. Marina has turned the TV on.

It is a news report. It reads 'Hart family found murdered: Paradise, Ohio'

Adam's face falls and he buries it in his hands. "No, no, no, no, no, NO" he screams

"What is it Adam?" I ask "Who are they?"

"My fault, why didn't I think to save them? I should have protected them. Now they're dead. I will rip him to pieces"

"Adam" says Marina "What are you talking about?"

"It's Setrάkus Ra" says Adam "He did this, it's a message"

"I thought you killed him" I say

"I killed the future version of him. The future version must have found a way to contact this version. He's probably told him everything. That's why finding the Garde was so dangerous. That's why some of the Cêpans died. Future Ra knew their locations as well"

"But who is the Hart family?" I ask

His looks guilty "In the other timeline, the Hart's daughter, Sarah. John falls in love with her, and he brings her along with him"

"Oh" I say, trying to comprehend the news that John loved a human

"I thought I could keep her safe by leaving her out of it. I didn't think he would target them" His faces lights up with fear "Sam" he says before rushing out of the door.

"What the fuck?" I say as he leaves. Adam doesn't hear me though. By now he's at the elevator and in a couple of seconds he'll be halfway across the state.

"Where has he gone?" asks Marina

"I don't know" I say "Who is Sam?" I recall something he said to me a while ago. "Sam Goode" I say

Marina stares at me "Who is Sam Goode?"

"Malcolm's son" I say "I remember, we were talking one night and he mentioned him"

"Oh no" says Marina, gesturing at the TV. None other than Setrάkus Ra in his human form stands amid the crowd that has gathered to lay flowers at the Hart house. He smiles at the camera.

"It's a trap" I say. Dread rising in my stomach. "Ra is baiting him out there"

I'm panicking, I look at Marina. She walks over to me and hold my shaking hands "He'll be fine One. You know Adam. They'll need a lot more than Ra to take him down"

"No" I say "Not now, not now" I say. Only now I realise how deeply I've come to rely and like Adam. No this can't be happening, have I seriously fallen for a Mog? A Mog with a seriously good body. No, stop that. Even if the latter was true, he's running headlong into a trap. And no one knows it but Marina and me. We quickly wake the others. We keep the explanation as short as possible. Adam is in trouble, pack your shit, we're helping him. We leave the hotel in three separate cars. Two four wheel drives and a mini-van. Nine says it's no use going to Paradise, even if they did manage to capture Adam they won't keep him there. He said they'll probably take him to a base called Dulce in New Mexico. It's a long shot, but New Mexico is where we're headed. We've left our Cêpans and Ella at the apartment. If Adam shows up there they'll contact us and we'll turn around. Every minute that they don't call sends a knife into my heart.

If only Adam had stayed in the room a tiny bit longer, he would've known it was a trap. He would've stayed. And then we could've – My thoughts are interrupted by a searing pain on my ankle. The other Garde feel it too. I'm in the same car as John and Six. John pulls the car over and clutches at his leg. Fear runs through me. Is Adam dead? Please no. But then I remember, even though I've always thought of Adam as one of the Garde he isn't. He isn't tied to our charm.

We all exit the car. So do the others. Nine, Hannu and Maggie come out of one car, all of them looking worse for wear. Eight and Seven jump out of the minivan. We are stopped on a long stretch of desolate highway. With nothing but cactus and desert for miles

"What just happened?" asked Nine

I'm not sure I know. Four speaks up "We're all fine, that means that Five, that Five is dead" he finishes

We stand in shocked silence.


	13. The Child Prodigy

We mutely walk back into our respective cars. The previous realisation bearing down on all of us like a freight train. I hop in the driver's seat. I look to my right and see One, staring blankly out of her window. I look in the rear view mirror, Six is sitting in the back with her hands in her lap, she's fiddling with her thumbs, her head bowed. It reminds me of a prayer. She looks up and sees me watching her. A smirk plays across her face, I avert my eyes and start the engine. I am scared for Adam, he's the brother I never got the chance to have. I don't know why, but Adam visited me more than the others. In between trips he'd ring and ask where we were, if we were safe. Then he'd come out to meet us, and train with Henri and I. He taught me most of what I know about fighting, hand to hand and with sharp or blunted weapons. Henri was a leader, and not much of a fighter, so he wasn't able to teach me as well as Adam was. One time he had stayed with Henri and I for two months. We trained, day in, day out. I check in front of me, the other four wheel drive cruises at a steady space.

I check the rear-view mirror. The mini-van is keeping up. Nothing else is in sight for miles. This place is just desert and more desert. I look at the GPS, the desert shows no sign of relenting.

My mind wanders to a memory long forgotten.

" _Focus John" says Adam_

 _I swing at him, he lazily dodges, not even using his super speed Legacy "I am focussing" I say_

 _He grins "John" he says calmly "you're getting frustrated, you're fine" he says "Take a deep breath"_

 _We breathe in unison, in, out. "Alright" he says "Now swing"_

 _I breathe in deeply and close my eyes, finding a place of calm within me, I can physically feel my heartbeat drop. I let the air out in a low whistle. Adam stands before me in his defensive stance. His body is side on. I'm too small, my arms aren't long enough, I'm only thirteen._

" _Hey Adam" I say_

 _His stance falters for a second when he replies "Yeah?" I take my chance. I rush him, he doesn't have time to counter, my left arm passes under his guard and collides with his stomach. Adam lets out a huff and falls back a few steps. I press the advantage, but Adam is too fast, he blocks every single one of my blows. He ducks under my last right hook and spins his leg around in an arc, his leg sweeps me off my feet_

 _He reaches out his hand, I take it and he hauls me up. I expect that he would be mad, that I tricked him. But instead he's smiling._

" _Good work" he says, I'm surprised with his appraisal "If you come up against someone who's bigger than you, stronger than you, then distracting them might be your key to winning. Get them off their guard, make your shot count. Your mistake was going for my stomach. If you need the advantage take out a weaker limb. A kick to the side of the knee would definitely impair them, a big hook to the jaw with leave them stunned. Go for the weakest and most vital places. If I had been you I would have taken out their dominant knee with a swift front kick or shin kick. I would have dislocated it or at least torn some muscle" He pats me on the shoulder "Don't think you have to fight fair, because trust me John, they won't. Now" he straightens and resumes his defensive stance "Again"_

I'm jolted back to the present by One shaking my arm slightly.

"You look beat" she says. I rub my eyes with one arm, keeping the other on the steering wheel. "Come on" she says "Pull over, I'll drive for a bit" She calls the other cars and tells them they're pulling over to switch drivers. Its early hours of the morning. The Sun is peaking over the horizon. We pull over, the highway still stretches onward. I hop out and so does One. Six is asleep against the window in the back. I open the back door and hop in. One hops in the front. She smiles at me in the rear view mirror.

"Get some rest" she says. I nod. I rest my head against the cold window and I feel Six stir beside me. She slides from her position against the wall and her head rests in my lap. One gives me a knowing smile but she says nothing. I rest my hand on Six's back and I feel the world going black. My head falls limply against the window and I drift off to sleep.

My dreams are filled with memories. Memories of Adam and Lorien. At least I think they're memories.

 _I'm standing in the middle of what looks to be a desert. I turn a full circle, still nothing. Flat desert for miles. Suddenly the scenery shifts and I don't move, but the ground moves underneath me. It stops as suddenly as it started. I'm still in the desert but I'm faced with a large complex. It is ringed by large wire fences. I can't really see what's inside, because behind the wire fences is a large metal wall._

" _Number Four" says a voice. I can't pinpoint the direction it came from, it seemed to have come from everywhere. I spin in a circle, nothing. Desert and the large wall. "This is where you must go Four" It says in a deep, calming voice._

" _Who are you?" I address the wall_

" _Room 34, level 3. Remember that Four" It says_

" _Wait" I shout "Who are you? Why did you bring me here?"_

" _Because" It starts "I chose Adam, and Adam chose you. If something were to happen to Adamus, he and I needed to know the Garde would be in safe hands. But I pray that nothing will happen to him, you need to hurry Four. Time is running out"_

I wake. Six is still fast asleep in my lap, using my leg as a pillow. It looks as though a few hours has passed. My watch reads 9:00am.

"Morning" says One "Were you dreaming?" she asks

"Huh?" I respond, my head spinning from the vision.

"You were mumbling. Room 34, level 3" she says

"I think, I think I had another vision. I was in the desert and a voice spoke to me. It said Adam was running out of time" I say.

One averts her eyes. I knew Adam had a thing for her. I had spent a lot of time with him, but what I didn't know is that his feelings were reciprocated. One had just confirmed that.

"We'll find him" I say "Where I was, it sounds like Dulce. Like Nine said. So we keep heading there. But we need to hurry"

It's hard to describe how running close to the speed of sound feels. I feel the wind, the power coursing through me. The world, as you might think, is not a blur. I see it as clearly as I can see everything in normal time. I don't feel tired really. I've been running for what feels like half an hour, but I know it's only been a few seconds. It's hard to explain, I teeter on the edge of blurriness. I allow my mind to pull back from normal time towards the speed I'm running. It's like increasing the speed of a video you watch on youtube, you can still comprehend and see everything clearly, but it goes by faster. Truth be told I get quite bored when I run, but I have to stay focussed. If I lose focus, and the world begins to blur I know I must stop, otherwise I may end up losing control and seriously injuring myself, or someone else. After what feels like hours I arrive in Paradise, Ohio.

I run to the Hart house, first I run a few laps around the house and scout the perimeter, making sure I'm alone. There's nothing, except a small black cat sitting in their front driveway. Alright, nothing here. I need to go to Sam's, I need to make sure he's okay, for Malcolm. I feel like I'm going to be sick. The Hart's are dead, and it's my fault. I begin to wonder about how they died. Was it slow? Was it painful? It takes me around 10 minutes to get to Sam's house, but really it's only been a few seconds.

Again, I sprint around the house, nothing. I walk towards the front door and reach for the door handle.

Volts of electricity course though my body. My hand is still attached to the door knob, I need to get it off. But I can't, I'm standing, violently shaking as electricity seers my flesh. Then it stops and I fall. The world starts to go black. My last vision is a dark figure looming in the night sky. It descends. One thought passes through my mind before I lose consciousness. It's a spaceship.

I don't know how I got there, or the events preceding but I wake to find One shaking my shoulders with extreme force.

"Adamus, you piece of shit, wake the fuck up" she screams

My mind is groggy, what happened here? My eyes adjust to the new light, I squint, trying to decipher what figures are what. The room I'm in is much like an interrogation room. It's small, there are four grey walls, a door, and what I guess is a two way mirror. I try to move, but I can't.

"Hold on" says John "I've got you, this is gonna hurt"

"What is…?" I start, then pain like I've never felt before seers my neck. It was only for a split second, then it's gone. I try to catch a breath, then the pain starts again, on my left arm, then on my right, then on both of my ankles.

"I'm sorry" says John as he pulls me into a sitting position I look at where I had been lying. "The straps" he gestures at piles of ash on the cool, metal table. "I had to burn through them, we couldn't pry them off. I'm sorry I had to put you through that"

I tried to speak, but stretching the skin to move my mouth was torture for my neck. I look around, in the room with me are Nine, John, One, and Six.

"Where are the others?" I ask

John bows his head "We…We split up, it was my idea. They create a distraction while we get you out. But, something happened"

"What?" I ask, dreading the answer

"It's Maggie, she's gone" says John

The entire group looks solemn. I want to scream, I want to run, I want to kill every last Mogadorian on Earth. I couldn't save her then, and I couldn't save her now. I remember the way she looked at me when she first died "You said you were going to help me"

"Why did you come for me?" I say, trying not to let sadness seep into my voice. "You shouldn't have. You all needed to live, don't you see?" I plead "This wasn't about me, it was about you" I need to make them understand why, why they should have never come. Together they will be the most powerful beings in the known universe, and they risked it for me. They can't do this again.

I grip John's arm, harder then I meant to "You can never do this again" I say. "I don't need any more Garde dying for me"

John nods and goes to say something but One interrupts "How can you be so selfish?" she asks "Maggie died for you, yes, she did. But we all knew the risk. We all knew we might never come back" She tries to storm out of the room but Nine stands in front of the door.

"Not yet" says Nine "Not until they've given the signal"

"What signal?" I ask

Then the room becomes eerily cold. I look at the ceiling. It seems to be freezing. Once the frost had covered the entire ceiling Nine says "That signal" he uses his anti-gravity Legacy to stand on the roof and with one swift punch the ceiling rains down upon us.

Above us, standing on the edges of the remaining ceiling are Marina, Eight and Hannu.

"Hey guys" says Eight "It's time to leave"


	14. The Finale

_A/N Thanks for those who read and reviewed. This chapter will end the series. In the spirit of my last chapter in this story I will give you a summary. Adam recalls what happened to him during his short stay at Dulce, the team prepares their withdrawal, this timelines Ra isn't keen on letting our young heroes escape unscathed._

That ungrateful piece of shit. Maggie sacrifices her life for him and he repays her by screaming at us for coming to get him. I want hit him, I want to kiss him, I don't know what I want, and it's frustrating as hell.

"We can talk about this later, but we have to go" We all just stand there looking at Adam who is making an attempt at standing, he sways and falls. John closes the distance and catches him. Adam nods gratefully.

"Thanks" he says. Adam puts one arm around John's shoulder to steady himself

"Come on" says Nine, John hands Adam to Nine. Nine uses his anti-gravity Legacy to drop Adam into the corner of the room above that still has a floor.

It feels like slow work, Nine is basically a taxi, getting us all from Adam's confinement cell into the room above.

Once we are all in the room above, which is identical to the room below, John speaks "Okay. I'm sure they're outside the door to the room below us, waiting us out. But up on this level, I think we should be fine"

Adam seems to have regained a little bit of his strength "What's the plan?" he asks, looking at John

"Well…" John studies the group "we brought a Xitharis stone" he holds up the little yellow stone "One I need you to transfer your size altering Legacy to Nine. Nine…" he turns to Nine "I need you to scout the area with Six, use your anti-gravity Legacy while you're small and run along the rooftops, they shouldn't notice you" he now turns to six "I need you to go with Nine in case he gets in any trouble" Six nods

"What about the rest of us?" asks Eight

"We wait here for Nine and Six. If the coast is clear Nine run back to us and let us know, if it's not, Six summon a lightning bolt and the crack of the thunder will let us know you're in trouble. Do you remember the route out?" asks John

Six nods "Yep, we're pretty close to the entrance. We go left out of here, take the second right, then the fourth left. Then we follow the hallway until we reach a latch in the ceiling. That'll bring us just outside the walls"

"Alright" I say, trying to put as much support and confidence in John's plan as I can.

One looks at me "Alright then, I guess that's the plan" she says

John nods at Nine and Six "Good luck"

Six smiles and says "Thanks, I won't need it"

John is standing with his back against the exit. Six and Nine stand from our huddle. One throws Nine the Xitharis stone. Nine catches it deftly in his right hand. He gives One a nod, he passes John and pats him on the back "See you on the other side he says" before becoming small and running out of the room

Six goes to pass John. John grabs her arm "I mean it" he says "Be careful"

She looks at him, the next thing I know John leans and kisses her. I definitely wouldn't have seen that coming. John is basically my prized student, and I would say my friend. But this is the first I've seen or heard about anything going on between him and Six.

John backs off, breathing heavily, the rest of us try to avert our eyes.

Six smiles and becomes invisible. John closes the door after a few seconds.

"So…" I say "That's new"

John gives me a wry smile

"What now?" asks Marina

"Now, now we wait" says John, sliding down the wall into a seated position.

The memories come, I can't stop them.

" _Adamus" says Ra. I'm strapped to a metallic table or desk of some kind. I'm in a small room, it looks like an interrogation room, one door and a glass wall that looks like it could be two-way glass. He sees me eyeing my surroundings "Not my first choice" he says "But, we had a small issue with the ship, so we'll be staying here for a small amount of time while the ship gets its repairs" he circles me. I can't move, try as I might. The straps they have on me must be reinforced with something. "Resistance is futile" says Ra with a slight smirk._

" _What do you want?" I spit_

 _Ra looks taken aback "The annihilation of the Loric species Adamus, it's what I've always wanted. And to further Mogadorian Progress. You know, time travel…" he looks at me appraisingly "That's a neat trick Adamus. The tales my future self had to tell" he sweeps his arm about the room "They were…enlightening to say the least" he pauses "Oh I nearly forgot" he looks at the glass "Come in"_

 _This guy is definitely crazy, but soon after the door opens. I'm apprehensive. Has he found the Garde? No, that's not possible._

 _A person enters the room, he's short and stocky. Then it clicks "Five" I say_

" _Very good Adamus" he says "Meet Number Five" Five saunters slowly into the room_

" _You called for me sir" says Five, giving a salute to Ra_

 _Ra looks him over "You are a fine soldier" he says, he turns to me "You know, the things my future self had to say about Five are less than comforting" he turns back to Five "Do you have any plans of defecting?" he asks Five_

 _Five flinches "Sir?" he says "No, of course not. Mogadorian Progress will ensure the continuation of your dynasty"_

 _Ra looks pleased "Good, very good. My future self must have been mistaken" it happened in the blink of an eye. I didn't see it coming, and apparently neither did five. Ra unsheathes a dagger at his side and plunges it into Five's chest. Five's eyes go wide and his skin changes to metal. Ra tuts "It's too late for that" he says soothingly "I truly regret having to do this" Five's form flickers. He changes from metal, to rubber, to skin, and keeps flickering out of one or the other. A trickle of blood runs out from the corner of his mouth and a tears falls from his eye. "Now now" says Ra, wiping away the blood "Death comes for us all one day" He pulls out the knife. Five stumbles back. I'm too shocked to do anything, let alone try and intervene. Five falls onto his knees, flickering into his rubber form. He stretches him arm and delivers a quick jab to Ra's face. His form changes back to skin, and he topples._

 _Ra wipes blood from his lip "How rude" he says. He turns to me. "You can't say I didn't give him a chance, I even dropped my Dreynan. He had every opportunity" When I don't respond he continues "Anyway, now that we're through with that unpleasantness, we will be here for a while so get comfortable Adamus. We'll resume our little chat on my ship when a craft is available to take us up"_

 _He steps over Five's body. Five's eyes are open, he's looking at me. His dead eyes accuse me, they say 'you could have stopped this, you could've saved me' Ra leaves the room. A short while later some vat-born scouts come in and haul Five's lifeless body out of the room. I lay for what feels like an eternity. Then a familiar gas seeps from under the door. I feel my consciousness start to slip._

I'm jerked back to the present by the sound of a lightning bolt. John tenses "That's' not good" I say. John is frozen, staring at the closed door "John" he jerks out his trance and clears his throat

"We've gotta go help" he says. The rest of us nod. John yanks the door open and runs towards the sound of a fight. One and I are left alone in the room

"Do you need me to help you up?" she asks

"I'm fine" I say, shakily getting to my feet. I suddenly become aware that I'm still only dressed in boxer shorts, they have a small pocket in them.

"Do you have a spare knife?" I ask

"Uh" she says, examining her body "Yeah, here" she tosses me a small swizz knife.

"Thanks" I say, dropping the knife into the small pocket in my briefs. "We should go" I say

"But Adamus" come a voice from below me, Ra has a blaster levelled at my chest, he's standing in the room that I has held in. Up here he have no cover since the floor is almost completely gone "We have so much to discuss" He fires a shot, not at me, but at One. I run and quickly drop her off with the others. I don't want her anywhere near this fight. While I'm dropping her off I see John, holding a limp six while tears fall down his cheeks.

No, I don't have time to think about that, Ra, if I kill him it's done. I sprint back to the room, I'm there in less than a second. Ra still had the rifle levelled at the doorway "I was wondering where you got to" he says.

I jump down into the room. Ra hasn't brought any backup. I try to engage my super speed, nothing. Shit, I had forgotten about his Dreynan.

Ra is grinning "None of that now" he says, dropping his blaster and unsheathing a short sword. "I want to enjoy this. My mind registers a few things, 1. He has another short sword sheathed on his belt, 2. I'm unarmed, 3. He's swinging at me, shit, duck. I roll away from his slash.

"I don't need my Legacies to kill you" I spit

"False bravado will do you more harm than good" says Ra. We circle around the room, the hard metal table still situated in the centre.

"Then drop your Dreynan and we'll see how this fight ends"

Ra snickers "I'm no fool Adamus" he says "Humour me Adamus, why does this have to be a fair fight?" he asks

A few things come to mind, honour, integrity, and then I realise that Ra possesses none of these traits.

My body is still shaky from the gas. I feel a little light-headed. Neither of us make a move.

Ra suddenly lunges across the table and slashes wildly. His technique is flawed, he is letting his anger and frustration get in the way. I duck his slash easily and roll towards him. When I finish the roll I spin and Ra's back is to me, he begins a backslash. I quickly drop my head and rip his second sword from his belt.

Ra faces me "Very good Adamus" he says. We resume our circling "You know, I just heard news over the comm system before Adamus. Tragic news, I believe. Number six, shot in the chest with a blaster" My mind goes back to when I had dropped One off and seen Six's limp form. I shake the thought from my mind "And, if the security camera's in the room above are working…" I look up, I don't see any. Ra snickers. "Two way glass, Adamus. Four and Six seemed to hit it off, wouldn't you say?" he said "My intel suggests that you and Four are close. It must hurt a great deal to see him suffer" he says

Anger courses through my body, but for the first time it's like I can control it, mould it. My hand flickers. Just for a moment, but it definitely flickers. I grin. Focussing my anger, I try to direct it.

Ra lunges once more, his attack is precise. A single lunge for my chest, I sidestep and slash at him. His sword rises up and metal clashes on metal. Ra slashes again, his pace increases. My arms are getting tired. He's quick, his earlier swordsmanship must have been a ploy to lure me into a false sense of security because he's good, really good. I block, I parry, and I try everything I can. But I'm weak, and I'm tired. My sword is a millisecond too late blocking is next blow. His sword slices across my ribs and under my arm. I let out a momentary wince before he slashes sideways and slices the arm which holds my sword. I drop it immediately. He has slit from the crook of my elbow, down my wrist and across my palm. My hand flickers

Ra stands above me "I don't quite feel like I'm in the sentimental mood, so what say we finish this?"

He raises the sword over his head. I expect it to come down and split me in two. But it doesn't. I raise my head, he's slow. He's moving slowly. I don't know how but my Legacy is somehow piercing his Dreynan. I tumble sideways and time returns to normal

He stares at me in shock "That's, not possible"

My knees feel like they're going to give. Piercing his Dreynan has taken a huge toll on me, I feel like I'm going to be sick. I'm drawn from my respite by Ra screaming in outrage and lunging at me. My hand flickers. I dodge, he's slow again and I feel like I won't get another opportunity like this. But I have nothing, and then I remember. THE KNIFE. The knife One gave me, I reach in pocket and draw out the short knife. That small distraction was enough for my Legacy to give. His sword impales me through the middle of my chest and pins me to the wall. His eyes have a manic gleam in them

"I've won Adamus" he says, twisting the sword. I let out a gasp, I want to scream, but I can't, I think he pierced a lung with his sword. The pain is like nothing I've ever felt. I feel myself start to drift. Memories flash before my eyes. One and I on the beach, One and I in the police station, One and I kissing on my bed. My eyes shoot open as a surge of adrenaline surges through me.

"No" I gurgle out, blood spills from my mouth

"What was that?" he says leaning in

"No" I say again and with all of the strength I have left in me I plunge the knife through his temple, just above his ear. His eyes show surprise momentarily before he stumbles. He falls to the ground

I can't help but smile as drift. The last thing I see is something blue and a warm feeling in my chest, and John's voice

"Hang in there" it says. I drift into darkness

My eyes open slowly

"Back to the land of the living" says John. I'm still in the small containment room.

"What?" I say, I look up. All of the Garde are there except for Maggie. Six is standing behind John. One is sitting down next to me. I look at Six "Am I in hell?" I ask

One laughs, no one else seems to find my crack all that funny.

"You're supposed to be dead" I say, nodding my head at Six

John answers, beaming a huge smile "Healing Legacy" he says, running his hand over the cut on my arm. The skin stitches itself back together "Who would've guessed?"

I smile and draw him into a hug "I would've" I said. I release John "Your timing is impeccable"


End file.
